


Back Route

by shoyousugar



Category: RWBY
Genre: Anger Management, Anti-Faunus Racism, Bisexual Character, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Fun, Its rlly fluffy, I’m so bad at tagging, Lesbian, Mentions of Unhealthy Relationships, Mentions of past abuse, Motorcyclist AU, Slow Burn, also i’m under the assumption that yang has anger issues, and i haven’t rlly seen people talk about that, blake helps, i guess, its called self control, i’ve learned how to do that recently, just lil mentions of it, learning to love, so as someone with the same problem ima make lil comments about it, yang’s bad with emotions, ’tis quite cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24617347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoyousugar/pseuds/shoyousugar
Summary: Yang Xiao-Long is a up and coming racer, known across remnant for being the underdog with the potential to win the Sanus Cup after her first season racing.But on her way to her next race, what happens when she takes a wrong turn into a small town no one even knew was there?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 44
Kudos: 202





	1. Wrong Turn

The roars of engines, cheers from the crowd and the scraping of tires filled the arena. It was everything Yang had lived for. Some people called her lucky to get here, said that she was just some amateur who stumbled her way into the big leagues. However Yang knew differently, so she grinned in their faces and continued on her merry way.

After all, just a few more laps and she would be the first rookie to win the Sanus Cup.

Unfortunately she wouldn’t be the youngest, that honour belonged to Pyrrha Nikos, who she was currently trailing behind on the track. Pyrrha had won the Sanus Cup when she was nineteen, and if she won today that would make this her fifth win in a row. Yang grinned again behind her helmet, because she knew she was going to beat Pyrrha today and shove it in that bitch Cinder’s face.

Cinder Fall was the ‘up and coming’ racer. She has been for five years. When Yang was asked a few months ago about Cinder Fall in an interview she had said;

“ _If she hasn’t won against Pyrrha yet she might as well give up as soon as I step on the track_.”  


Apparently that really riled Cinder and now it was well known that she hated Yang. The thing about Cinder was she was all talk with no skill. ‘ _If you’re always coming in second place you’re not trying hard enough.’_ Yang thought. 

Pyrrha on the other hand was the best super bike racer in the region. Unbelievably modest, super sweet, easy on the eyes and, the best part in Yang’s opinion, she had _talent_. Either that or this was just a super long string of good luck because Pyrrha had never lost a single race before. In her entire career she had always came in first place. Yang declared to herself in the mirror this morning that today was the day that changed.

The blonde purposely cut in front of Cinder to annoy her, she had been doing this the entire race, literally leaving her in the dust. Pyrrha was just up ahead, on a straight line into the next lap. Yang felt her leg sweep over the ground, the engine on her bike muffling the sound of leather being ground against asphalt. 

A quick glance behind her and she was grinning at Cinder and the rest of the racers who were far behind her. She was neck and neck with Pyrrha, the defining moment as they pulled into the last lap. She was ready to do a victory dance when she passed by Pyrrha, bike skidding around the corner as she began to speed up again.

“Bring it home sis!” Ruby screeched through the headset. They were all so surprised when headsets had been legalised again for the racers but it had been explained as a way to prevent accidents because there seemed to be a lot of crashes this season. But as Yang spun around the corner onto that final stretch, she was so excited. Just a little further and she will have won.

She groaned when she heard engines right at her ear, head flicking from left to right; Pyrrha and Cinder on either side. She was still a few inches further than them-

Cinder bumped into her bike, knocking her a little off balance and slowing her down. She had no clue what was happening, only that the crowd was cheering; she, Cinder and Pyrrha had passed the finish line. Did she win? She wondered, eyes darting around the arena as she pulled her bike into the pits. She won right?

Yang tugged her helmet off, arms held out wide as she walked over to Ruby, her agent Weiss and her uncle Qrow. “I won right?” She asked, and everyone shrugged, half smiling. Apparently they didn’t know either. Qrow smirked and patted her shoulder, pulling her towards him. “Don’t worry about it kid, you’ll stand up on that stage and get that trophy,” Qrow said, voice hoarse and cheerful. Clearly he was looking for something. “Make sure to stop by the sponsor tent then we’ll take off, yeah?” _Aaaaaaaand_ there it was.

“Yeah, will do,” she said, waving him off as she began to walk. She wanted this trophy, needed it like the oxygen that was currently burning her throat. What if she didn’t win? How _embarrassing_ would that be. Talking herself up for months and then - _poof_ \- she flops. Seriously she would have to change her name and move to Vacuo. Weiss and Ruby were quick to chase after her. Ruby because she was her sisters number one fan, something that Yang would never forget. And Weiss because, well, it was _Weiss_ , she was going to nag her about something.

“Should we go over some statements for if you lose?” Weiss said, face worried. Ruby gasped. “She’s not gonna lose!”

Yang sometimes forgot how much faith Ruby had in her. Their entire lives Ruby looked up to Yang. Her big sister. Protecting her, teaching her, caring for her. It was just a sister thing, Yang supposed. But then Weiss wasn’t exactly close with her family so maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was just their families thing. Yang briefly wondered if her dad was watching. She hadn’t exactly left Patch on good terms with him.

But the way she and Ruby had been living with him, they were better off gone. They stayed out too late, he didn’t like it; went out too early, he didn’t like it; did anything at all that remotely annoyed him, he didn’t like it. Then Yang had said she was going to compete and... that was the end of things. Ruby had came with her, which she was allowed to do. She was twenty-one, of legal age to do whatever she wanted. Er, well, not _whatever_ she wanted but the general idea.

“We don’t need to plan for anything because I have won.” Yang said, smirking and pointing her thumbs at herself, walking backwards towards the ceremony stage. Weiss rolled her eyes, “You can’t just _pretend_ it’s not a problem, we’ve got the press to think about. _Your public image!_ ” A few girls waved for Yang to speak to them. Assumedly, they were fans. Yang was one of the only openly gay racers in the region, which did wonders for this image that Weiss kept talking about. A magazine had called her a queer icon last week, she could’ve died happy right then.

But she didn’t because she wouldn’t be happy, she wanted this trophy.

“Hey ladies.” Yang cooed, winking and saluting the girls who had called for her. Instead of stopping to chat she just strolled on by. The blonde wondered what everyone she used to know thought of her now, she was never wanted, but now, she was loved by millions. Which was shallow, she knew that it was all just a superficial lifestyle. But she was tired of feelings. Feelings didn’t help her. But the cocky facade of a beautiful blonde? _That_ helped her.

“Yang, we should really-“

“ _Relax_ Weissicle, I’ve got this in the bag.”

“ _Fine_ , have it your way!” Weiss groaned, running a hand through her hair in frustration. Ruby gently placed a hand on Weiss’ arm to calm her down, taking a few steps back with her. “We’ll just wait over there for the announcement, break a leg sis!” Ruby smiled brightly. If she lost after receiving such a wholesome smile from her sister it would be all over for her.

Yang took a deep breath, settling herself into standing behind the stage, staring at the curtain. She linked her hands behind her back, head held high. The blonde kept telling herself she was going to win, that this was a done deal. She gently tilted her head to the side when Pyrrha strolled up beside her, smiling and waving politely. “Hello there, nervous?” Pyrrha asked and Yang envied how nice she was.

“A little, not really though. _Totally_ won.” Yang winked. Pyrrha giggled and shook her head, turning back to face the curtain. “You’re awfully confident in that.” She said, boots shuffling against the wood as she fixed her stance. “I think _you_ might be a little nervous.” Yang said, genuinely chuckling. She hadn’t expected Pyrrha to be like this. She had never spoke with her before though. 

“Of course, you and Cinder were both remarkable out there.” She smiled, teeth glinting. ‘ _Damn her and her golden girl schtick.’_ Yang thought. “Hey, don’t worry.” Yang says, holding her hand out to place on Pyrrha’s shoulder. “I’ll take you out on a date with all that money I’m gonna be getting from my Atlas sponsorship.”

Pyrrha laughed, loud and melodic. “I’d rather go somewhere with my boyfriend, but I see how some fall for your charm.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, but I have to say, you’re a lot different from what I expected.” Pyrrha said, her smile subsiding into a thin lipped simper. Yang raised her eyebrows, again, not something she was expecting. “How so?” She asked.

“You’re a lot more distant than I thought you would be.” Pyrrha said. Yang hummed, not entirely knowing what that meant. “What did I say that made you think that?” She asked. Pyrrha shook her head, glancing around. Yang was aware they were still waiting for Cinder but she was intrigued by this conversation. “It’s nothing that you said. I can see it. You’re smile doesn’t reach your eyes...” she said, frowning now.

Yang knew that to be true. She didn’t know how it happened. Eventually something just... _turned off_. Sometimes she looked in the mirror, into her eyes and saw the bare windows of an empty house. The loving family long since moved out.

“I suppose. It’s just best not to get emotions involved, in my opinion anyway.” Yang said, turning back to the stage. The conversation had intrigued her but it was bordering on a therapy session, something that she had avoided like the plague. “Want my advice?”

“Not really.”

“You would feel a lot better if you let people in. If you love them, it’s just a risk you have to take.”

Yang hummed, acknowledging that.

“Yeah well, I’m not really in the mood to wind up heartbroken.” She said, smiling quickly at Pyrrha which turned out to be just a tensing of her cheeks. Pyrrha nodded, turning back to facing the curtain, minding her own business now.

“You’re about to be heartbroken when I take that trophy Xiao-Long.”

Cinder strolled up to the other side of Yang, standing proudly with an evil smirk on her face. Yang audibly growled. She wanted to wipe that smile off her face, so smug yet she had never came close to winning before.

Despite all of her confidence, Yang tensed when the commentator began the announcement, his voice booming through the stadium. She took a deep breath, preparing herself. Chanting that she had won, over and over inside her head.

“ _ **Ladies and gentleman, for the first time-**_ “

Yang smiled, that sounded good for her.

“ _ **We have a three way tie!**_ ”

Her jaw dropped. Was that allowed? Surely that wasn’t allowed. She should have won, she was right there! Yang groaned and threw her head back, eyes screwed shut. There was no way she was going to have to share this trophy with them. The curtains were drawn back and her head snapped back into place, playfulness replacing frustration on her face. The mask was for the public, she had to play nice.

“ _ **There will be a tiebreaker in Vacuo next week to determine the winner!**_ ”

Now that was interesting. She hadn’t lost yet. Grinning proudly, she knew she hadn’t lost yet. She smiled and waved for the cameras like the other two beside her. 

* * *

Yang thumped off of the stage, racing over to Ruby and Weiss before the press could nab her. The blonde threw her thumb in the direction of the stage. “Is that allowed? Surely that’s not legal.” She said. Weiss sighed and Ruby looked down at the ground, disappointed. 

“It’s a PR thing, this rivalry between the three of you has really blown up in the media recently.” Weiss explained, turning and walking off towards the sponsor tent and expecting the other two to follow. Yang grimaced at the sight of the ugly ‘Qrow Bar’ logo. “It’s great though, this means that whether or not you win, you’re going to make plenty of lien from this.” Weiss smiled and Ruby nodded in agreement with her. 

“Yeah, you’re everywhere right now! The media are eating this up!” Ruby said excitedly, fiddling to pull her scroll from her pocket to show Yang. She handed her scroll to Yang as they walked inside the tent. Yang couldn’t lie, they weren’t exaggerating. The announcement of the three way tie was live and the world had saw that they were having a tiebreaker race next week. The media was eating it up, newspapers and magazines fighting to report it first.

Most importantly, her fans were pretty psyched.

“ _Whoa_... this is pretty amazing.” Yang admitted, a slight laugh slipping out of her. Ruby nodded her head fervently, thrilled Yang had agreed with her. “Yeah well, I was thinking. Maybe when we get to Vacuo, I could... _y’know_... _maybe_ -“

“You can totally tune up my bike.”

Ruby cheered and pumped her fist. This trio made a pretty good team. Ruby was a great mechanic, had a natural knack for it in all honesty. Weiss, after years of working with her father, was great with the business side of things. And all Yang had to do was smile, wave, saw a few witty lines and win the races. It was a pretty sweet deal.

“Hey! Firecracker, get over here!” Qrow yelled, waving at her with a half drunken bottle of whiskey. Yang half smiled, internally rolling her eyes and screaming. “Give us a speech!” He yelled, more of a demand than a question. She sighed and rolled her shoulders, walking through the crowd of drunkards. “Alright, if you insist...” she mumbled.

The thing she hated most about her sponsor was now every single person in this tent was the exact same; middle aged men who were too drunk to function. Qrow was the worst, naturally, Yang couldn’t remember the last time he was sober. A constant hair of the dog spilling from his lips every morning the hangover threatened to kick in. Qrow owned the Qrow Bar. The name being some sort of clever wordplay he thought of one night. It was cool at first but... not when she had to stand over a sea of swaying men.

“Uh... so I didn’t win tonight.” She said, clearing her throat and looking between everyone. Weiss was giggling at how awkward the room felt. “But I will win, next week, but hey there’s no time like the present- next round’s on me!” She declared, whipping her finger in the air. They all cheered and held their drinks in the air.

Yang sighed and grabbed the backpack at the back of the room, pulling out a few fifty lien bills and slipping them into a jar. She supposed they would figure out that was what they were using for their next round of drinks and left it lying there. She heard Qrow telling someone that’s what it was going to be used for and let out a sigh of relief. At least her sponsor would have something good to say about her, even if it was her uncle. 

* * *

“Oh, sorry!”

Yang winced as she bumped into someone by accident leaving the changing rooms. She had hung up her suit and handed it to Qrow. She loved her suit so much, her friend Coco had designed it for her. It was matte black with yellow details, the pattern of a dragon going down her back, it’s tail stretching across her right arm. Speaking of...

She twitched her right hand, the metal sliding smoothly. She had lost her arm long ago, Weiss managing to procure a prosthetic for her. It was thanks to Weiss she could race at all, having set everything up and given Yang her right arm back. Sometimes she hated it though. The sensors were awful, she could barely feel anything with it. Brothers, she couldn’t wait to get that Atlas sponsorship, she would get it upgraded immediately.

As thankful as she was to Weiss, because it was such a big deal, she wanted to feel normal.

Yang stopped to admire herself in a cracked mirror. She still had to ride her bike all the way to Vacuo, stopping for oil changes along the way. They had no other transport. So that meant she had to dress appropriately. However that didn’t mean she couldn’t look good whilst she did. Dark brown pilots jacket, black t-shirt, cargo pants and boots. Sure, wasn’t exactly well lit but she would be riding a bright yellow super bike. People would have to be blind to miss her.

She slung her backpack over her shoulders, helmet being secured, gloves being pulled on. She was good to go.

The journey was boring. More boring than she thought it would be. They had been driving for hours, well into the night. It just have been around one in the morning. Although she couldn’t check because her scroll had ran out of battery. That was fine though, all she had to do was follow behind Weiss’ car. As if to prove her own point, when Weiss pulled into a little store halfway through the motorway, Yang did too.

Ruby bolted from the car, making a beeline for the bathroom. Yang decided she better take a quick break as well. She stood up, stretching her legs as she walked towards the store. Weiss shot her a warning glance. She ignored it, typical _Schnee-nanigans_. The blonde grabbed a sandwich that looked somewhat appetising, strolling up to the counter with it, and whistled all the way.

There was a Faunus girl behind the counter, her tail wildly swinging behind her. “Hey, you’re that racer!” She exclaimed as she scanned Yang’s food. The blonde grinned, “Yup, just on my way to collect my trophy.” Yang winked at the girl and she laughed. She wasn’t at all charmed by the girl’s wildly coloured hair or the fact that her name was ‘Neon’. Was that a joke or actually her name? She couldn’t tell.

“So cocky, guess all the articles are true then.” The girl half smirked. Yang nodded and shrugged, grabbing her sandwich from the counter. “Guess so-“

“What about the articles about how you used to beat your girlfriend?”

Yang turned in shock. That was a nasty rumour she didn’t want coming back, because it was a blatant lie. The blonde shook her head, keeping a calm look on her face. “Not true, sorry.” She left as quickly as she could, which might’ve been more suspicious had it not been for Weiss honking her horn.

She ate the sandwich whilst she waited for the traffic to move. Following Weiss’ car was getting a little more difficult now that there were more of the same vehicle. At least she knew it was her car by the way Yang’s racing suit was hung up in the back seat. That thing at the store had shaken Yang a little. There was a rumour she used to beat her girlfriend, she had no clue where people got that from because it was a blatant lie. She hadn’t been in a real relationship for six years. So she assumed it to just be... one of those things.

The traffic started to move and she followed Weiss’ car off of the motorway? Odd, she went with it though. Maybe Weiss knew a shortcut or something. She continued to follow the car, coming to a halt at a stop sign. Yang squinted her eyes as she began to read the license plate, her heart racing as she realised it wasn’t Weiss’. The license plate was custom made spelling out ‘dum-dum’, she glanced into the back window and saw they had their laundry hanging up. Not her suit at all.

Yang felt the ‘dum-dum’ license plate was ironic. She was the only dumb-dumb here.

Frustrated, Yang sped her bike along the road that trailed alongside the motorway. She couldn’t get back on it right now but if she was at least gonna in the right direction... she was going far too slow. Yang sped up again, her bike really making a ruckus so late at night-

_Sirens_. There were sirens behind her.

Yang groaned, this wasn’t at all how this was supposed to go. She sped up again in an attempt to get away from them, she would lose them eventually. The car sped up behind her.

Yang was surprised when she came across a small town hidden in the forest, protected by the trees from any wandering eyes. It was charming in its own rustic way. Too busy staring at the scenery, she didn’t realise there was a fountain in front of her. Yang skidded to the side, her bike being knocked off balance and going straight through a store window, crashing into a shelf and causing a domino effect of collapsing shelves.

“Just my luck...” she mumbled, head in hands. Of course this would happen to her, it was like the universe hated her, wanted to guide her anywhere but to her career. She sighs and stands up, dusting herself off. She picks up her bike as well, feeling lucky there were no serious damages to it. She better get out of her before-

“Uh, excuse me, ma’am?”

Someone arrived... never mind then.

“ _Yeah_?” She answered, peeling her helmet off of her head. Maybe if they knew who she was they might be willing to let her off the hook. She looked up to see two boys, one a blonde monkey Faunus and the other with bright blue hair. “Oh, you’re Yang Xiao-Long!” The Faunus boy spoke, bouncing on the spot at this revelation. The other boy nudged him with his elbow, causing the blonde to wince.

“Right... ah... er...” he stammered then straightened up. “Yang Xiao-Long you are under arrest... sorry.”

Yang sighed again. This was going to be a long night. 


	2. The Belladonna Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang faces a punishment for what she did, only it ends up being more voluntary than anything else.

Like Yang thought, it was a long night. Mainly because she had to sit inside a dingy cell until the next morning, the uncomfortable bed digging into her butt cheeks. Or maybe it was the other way around because this mattress seemed to be empty. She sighed and stood up to look out of the window. At least the scenery was gorgeous, it was crazy how she didn’t know about this place.

There was a clinking noise behind her and she turned to see the same monkey Faunus boy who arrested her. He smiled brightly from the other side of the bars, waving at her. “Time to face the firing squad?” Yang joked, half smirking. The boy shook his head. “Not yet, soon though!” He was very chirpy as he spoke and Yang recalled that he was the same last night. Maybe that was just his deal.

“Why’s your shirt open like that, is it hot out?” Yang asked, deciding she may as well make casual conversation to pass the time. “Nah, I just like wearing shirts open like this. Although it does beat the heat!” Yang hummed. She respected that. She had to take her jacket off because the heat was stifling. “What’s your name?” She asked.

“Sun! Sun Wukong!” He stuck his hand through the bars. She reached forward to shake his hand. Sun was an appropriate name for him, it matched his personality. “So... what brings you to Solanaceae?” He asked, the tiny hint of hopefulness in his eyes told her he might have been a fan. At least she knew now the town was called Solanaceae. Yang grinned and sheepishly scratched the back of her neck, “Well, I actually got a little lost on the way to Vacuo and wound up here.”

Sun nodded, tail whipping a stool under him so he could sit down. “Where is it you come from again, I know it’s kind of a foreign place cause you’re good looking.” He commented, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She raised an eyebrow, maybe he wasn’t a fan and just knew who she was. “I’m from Patch, just off of the coast of Vale so not that foreign.”

“Explains the tan...”

“Are you trying to flirt with me or... I don’t know what you’re doing?” Sun bolted up, his face flushing. He waved his hands around in front of him. “N-No, nothing like that! It’s just my buddy Neptune is super into fashion and he’s got me slipping into this habit of looking at peoples appearances.” He gulped, nervously laughing. Yang laughed as well, for such a big guy he was surprisingly easy to fluster.

“Where are you from? Are have you always lived here?” Yang asked. He seemed nice so she kept up the conversation, there wasn’t much else she could do right now. “I’m actually from Vacuo, moved to Mistral, then to Vale for a little while, _and_ _finally,_ here.” His tail swung happily behind him. Yang had to admit, she had immense respect for the Faunus. She could barely control the appendages she had never mind an extra one. Imagine she had claws? With _her_ temper? Disaster, she would’ve tore up her house one hundred times over.

Also, how odd that he had been across the entirety of Remnant. Maybe he was one of those people who couldn’t stay in one place for too long, restless and reckless. Leaving home to fuel a fire inside him that threatens to die the longer he was kept from doing what he loved. A fire that began to fade when he kept chasing for happiness and never found it anywhere he went. Searching for emotion in every person whilst keeping his distance, looking for that connection... 

“How’d you find this place, it’s pretty hidden- although I’ve gotta say-” She pointed outside the window to the trees and flowers. “-Gorgeous scenery, the only place I’ve ever been like this was a beach in patch... even at that it was filled with trash.” She thought that was as good as an escape from her mind as she could get right now.

“Uh... see it’s funny you ask how I got here...” he started awkwardly stammering and gesturing her hands around in the air, tail swooping over his shoulder to join him. Yang guessed that this might be an awkward story? Maybe even a little funny?She had no clue he was just making signs with his hands now. “There was this girl in Vale and she was moving back here to be with her family- we’re friends I wasn’t stalking her or anything!”

Yang thought he might be too stupid to stalk someone.

“So Neptune and I came back here with her and that was that!” Sun grinned. The blonde was extremely disappointed with that story, she thought it would be been funnier. “ _Happy ending_?” She said, winking. He got the message and blushed, shaking his head, no. “We’re still friends she just doesn’t like me like that.”

‘ _I can’t blame her_.’ Yang thought. Sun seemed nice enough but she could see how he could get on someone’s nerves. However she was used to the over optimistic outlook thanks to Ruby, that was kind of her thing that Yang and Weiss had to put up with. It was endearing in its own way. Strange that when Ruby acted liked this; she thought it was cute, but when someone like Sun acted this way; she thought it was irritating.

The door behind Sun squeaked open, the other boy from the night before walking in with a frown on his face. Sun threw his thumb towards him, “This is Neptune.” Neptune smiles and saluted her. How ironic that Neptune had blue hair, Yang sniggered. “Have you seen Kali?” Neptune asked, yang remaining on the door, ready for a quick exit. Sun nodded, “Yeah she was just having lunch with Ghira.”

Yang blinked a few times. Lunch? So it wasn’t morning?

“What time’s it?” Yang asked, eyes flicking between the two boys. This was bad. She needed to at least let Ruby know she was alright. What if she thought Yang had abandoned her? Brothers, that would bring up something much more serious than a store getting trashed!... no it wouldn’t, Yang was still sorry about that. But this was no time for reason!

“It’s around one o’ clock, why? You hungry, too?” Sun asked, smiling. Neptune clicked his fingers and pointed at Sun. “Yo, if you’re hungry I can bring some food!” Neptune said, flashing a charming smile at her. Yang shook her head, hands coming to grab at the bars of the cell. “No, I just want to get out of here and call my sister so that she knows I’m fine.” Yang said and the two boys looked between each other. Yang groaned and took a deep breath, surely they would give her a scroll to call Ruby.

“We were told to wait until the Belladonna’s came to get you...” Neptune said, half smiling. Yang stopped for a moment to appreciate how nice the name Belladonna sounded, then slipped straight back into frustration. “Look, I’ll even put the call on loud speaker. I just _really_ need to let her know I’m okay-“

“What’s going on in here?”

Yang gulped when she saw a bear of a man step inside the room, barely fitting through the doorway. He was definitely not someone she wanted to pick a fight with. Apparently Sun and Neptune were afraid of him too, as they both stood at attention. “Uh, she was just asking if she could make a call to her sister.” Sun said, throwing a thumb towards Yang.

The man raised an eyebrow, scratching his beard as he looked over at Yang. “Where is your sister?” He asked, arms folding across his chest. She noticed his robe like jacket hung open, revealing his chest. She wondered if that was just a thing around here, Neptune was wearing a jacket though- _wait_ , she was answering a question. “She’s in Vacuo with my uncle.” Yang said. The man let out a sigh and raised his eyebrows, deflated.

“Unfortunately our communications don’t stretch that far. We could reach Vale but even that’s a little shaky.” He said, letting out a gruff, mirthless laugh. Yang sighed and shook her head. How a bad situation had turned worse she had no idea. The man took a step back and patted Neptune’s shoulder. “Bring her over to the courthouse and we’ll decide what to do with her.” He huffed.

Yang was beginning to feel like a burden. 

* * *

The courthouse was less of a courthouse and more of a community centre. That’s what Yang thought anyway, maybe it wasn’t. She had never been to court before. She sat on a chair in the front row, head swivelling around to take in her surroundings. It was quite nice in all honesty. White walls, brown flooring. The rows of benches matched with the colour of the floor. 

A rabbit Faunus sat behind her, raising an eyebrow at how Yang was surveying the room. “S-Sorry, I’m just... not used to this.” Yang said, clearing her throat awkwardly. The girl smiled and giggled. “Don’t worry, neither am I.” She said, rabbit ears twitching. Yang appreciated how nice she was, she offered her hand to the girl. “I’m Yang, it’s nice to meet you.” She said. The girl smiled and shook her hand, nervously giggling at her. “I’m Velvet, and it’s nice to meet you, too.”

“I’m sorry we had to meet in a courtroom.” 

“To be fair, you wrecked my store.”

Yang’s mouth fell open, her heart sinking. She was an awful person to have done that to such a nice persons store. “I am _so_ sorry-“

“Don’t worry, I’m just worried what the other owner will think about everything.” Velvet says as she readjusts herself in her seat, one leg crossing over the other. Yang felt genuinely terrible. She hoped she could fix their store, she was more than willing to give the money to have it all repaired. Yang wondered who this other person was, probably her boyfriend or something. She hoped maybe Ruby and Weiss knew where she was... that was unlikely.

“Who have you met?” Velvet asked, leaning back in her chair, revealing a large camera dangling from her neck. “I’ve met met you, Sun and Neptune.” She said, letting out a small sigh as she leaned on her hand. Velvet leaned forward, pointing towards the pedestal where the large man she had spoke to earlier stood. “That’s Ghira Belladonna, him and his wife Kali run the town. They moved here from Menagerie a long time ago.”

“ _Menagerie_... awesome place.” Yang flicked her eyebrows. Velvet hummed and gestured with her rabbit ear to a girl in the back row, freckles littered across her face and arms, her hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail. “That’s Ilia, she looks scary but she’s really not.” Velvet said, scrunching her nose as she smiled. Yang nodded and chuckled. “Anyone else I should know?” She asked, catching Ilia scowling at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah, there’s Blake, she’s Ghira’s daughter-

“Okay, let’s get this over with!” Ghira boomed, voice only raised to get their attention. He put on his glasses and stood up behind the podium, a tiny sheet of paper (in comparison to his size) laid out on top of the podium. “State your name?” He asked. Yang heard the door open behind her but she didn’t turn to look, that would be rude seeing as she had just been asked a question... and not because she was in a courtroom. “Yang Xiao-Long.” She smirked, expecting a reaction out of him. Instead he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Famous racer? You’ve _got to_ have heard of me.” She said, surprised at the lack of shock on his face. Ghira huffed out a sigh, taking off his glasses and stroking the bridge of his nose. “What _kind_ of racer...” he grumbled. Yang drummed her fingers on the table to resist the urge to turn around. “Motorcyclist.” Ghira groaned louder, placing both palms flat against the podium. “Dismissed, just get out of here, I don’t need _that_ sort of drama.”

Yang grinned and pumped her fist, celebrating. Great, that meant she could just zoom on out and let Ruby know she was on her way. There was a clicking of heels that made Yang turn in her seat and... _whoa_... she didn’t expect to see this. Well not this, the girl wasn’t an object, _of course_. She was just an extremely attractive Faunus girl that completely caught her off guard. And by extremely attractive, she meant this girl could be a model. Short, jet black hair that framed her face, a loose t-shirt that had been tucked into her jeans somehow looking really good on her, ankle length boots that just really suited her. 

Then Yang remembered that she had just been let off the hook, free to leave. It was fate, really. “Hey gorgeous, did you take a wrong turn and wind up here, too?” Yang said, all charm and suavities exuding from every pore. The girl stopped and raised an eyebrow, humming in response. “No Yang that’s... _never kind_.” Velvet said behind her, sighing.

“You’re the one who wrecked the book store?” The girl said, a little spikier than Yang had hoped. “Yeah, it was an accident. It’s all smoothed over now though.” She shrugged, standing up and tucking the chair under the small desk in front of her. “How about you and me get out of here? I’ve gotta be in Vacuo right now, but I’m sure I could make time for you.” She flashed her best charming smile again but the girl only huffed out a laugh.

“Is that supposed to be cute?”

“Kind of.”

“It’s irresponsible to blow off your obligations for a stranger.” She said, flicking her eyebrows at Yang, ears slightly tilting with her expression. The girl turned to face Ghira, thumb loosely thrown in Yang’s direction. “Dad, you’re not seriously letting her leave are you?”

“ _Dad?!_ ” Yang spluttered, completely embarrassed, she looked to Velvet in disbelief. “ _I tried to tell you._ ” She winced and Yang let out a tiny whimper. Not only was this embarrassing, because she had been rejected in the meanest of ways, but because it happened in front of the girls dad- wait.

“So _you’re_ Blake-“ The girl held her index finger in the air, a gesture for her to be quiet. Yang didn’t know why she obliged. “What do you suggest we do? We can’t keep her here.” Ghira said, letting out another huff. Blake furrowed her brow, ears pinning back, clearly unhappy. “She can fix my store, I mean _how_ did you even manage to do most of the damage?” Blake asked, folding her arms and turning to face Yang. The blonde opened and closed her mouth. How was she hotter when she was angry?

“Bad luck?”

“Well _bad luck_ or not, there are hundreds of books all over my floor, the window is in ruins- _there’s a tyre mark up my wall!_ ” She yelled, rubbing her temples to try and stop herself from getting too angry. Yang felt much worse than before, and not just because Blake was a pretty girl who’s store she screwed up. But because it clearly meant a lot to her with how angry she was getting. Sure, most people who had their stores broken into like that would be angry, but Blake was bordering on tears here.

Blake waved her hand, “Know what, just-“

“I’ll fix it.” Yang said. Blake paused, the wrinkles in her face from frowning smoothing as she looked up Yang. “ _What_?” She asked, seemingly in genuine disbelief. Yang sighed and closed her eyes, dipping her head downwards. “I said, I’ll fix your store.” She lifted her head back up to face Blake, who had an eyebrow raised at her. Why was it so hard for her to believe that Yang was going to fix her mistake?

“I’m not a complete douche, I messed up so now I’m gonna fix things.” Admittedly Yang was beginning to get irritated by the bemused face Blake wore. As much as she liked to look at her, she didn’t like the sentiment behind that look. “Right... well... _okay then._ ” Blake said, lips slightly upturning as she looked between Ghira and Yang. Ghira shook his head and said, “We can arrange where you’ll be sleeping later.”

Blake nodded her head a few times and folded her arms over her chest. “Ilia over there owns a hardware store, we can go pick up some stuff then get to work.” Blake gestured towards Ilia who was still glaring at Yang. It was a glare that could match Weiss’... she should really hurry before Ruby starts to worry. “Yeah, cool, I’ve got some lien on me so I can pay for it.” She said and Blake blinked again in surprise, smiling slightly. At least she was less harsh now.

“I think she likes you.” Velvet commented. Blake glared at her and Yang thought that she knew way too many people with eyes like knives. 

* * *

Blake led Yang to the hardware store, where she quickly learned that Ilia didn’t like her. Yet she couldn’t exactly discern the reason why. But she didn’t need to think about it too much, she was too busy with Blake telling her what to do. Three sets of shelves units, that was easy enough she could put them up in less than a few hours. A few pots of purple paint for the walls, totally fine, that wouldn’t take her long either. And a few cardboard boxes for her to collect all the stuff off of the ground at the store. 

Great, she might have this done by tomorrow. That wasn’t so bad. 

Blake tapped her finger over the plastic on a set of tools, then did it again to another box. Yang had noticed it was this little thing she did when she was trying to decide on something. She felt weird for having drawn attention to it, just a mindless little detail about someone she didn’t even know. She finally settled on which set of tools she was getting, tossing them into the cart, which was already packed with boxes. 

“Okay, I think we’re good.” Blake said, walking off towards the checkout. Yang followed behind her, pushing the cart. Ilia was quick to ring them up, making sure to send Yang one final death stare for good measure. Ilia flicked her eyebrow at the receipt and passed it over to Blake, who actually gasped. “ _Five-hundred lien?!_ ” She squawked, waving the receipt in the air. 

That... was somehow _less_ than Yang expected. And without batting an eyelid she was in her pocket and passing her debit card to Ilia. Blake turned to her again and apparently Yang was full of surprises because she gawked at her. “What are you doing?” Blake asked. And she was right to. Because _what was she doing_? _**Five-hundred** lien_ without thinking twice? _Was she brain dead?!_

“I... I’m paying for the new furniture because I broke it?” Yang said, honestly unsure and wondering if that was actually what she was doing. Ilia rolled her eyes and gave her the card back. “Thanks, it went through fine.” She said, leaning on the counter. Blake pulled a face at her and began tugging on the cart, a sign that they were leaving. 

Yang was thankful that they took the cart with them. Because she didn’t find it that heavy, but she didn’t think she could handle carrying everything separately. She stopped for a moment to take her jacket off, tossing it into the cart. Maybe it was because she was in a forest but it was quite hot out. Blake glanced back at her. “Is it too heavy? I could help.” She said and Yang shook her head, smiling. “I’ve got it, don’t worry.” Blake looked her up and down, jaw clenching as she turned back around and muttered something. 

Yang tilted her head curiously, what was that about? She looked herself up and down. Her t-shirt was quite form fitting, biceps on full display on her arms. _Ohhhhhhh_ , she grinned. “You like what you see?” She asked teasingly. Blake didn’t reply, stayed quiet for a moment. “Here’s my store.” 

‘ _Dodged a bullet there didn’t she._ ’ Yang thought. 

Blake unlocked the door, holding it open for Yang to push the cart inside. She left it near the desk, grabbing the empty cardboard boxes and getting to work, picking up broken wood and cracked glass, placing it gently in the box. She was aware of Blake watching her, an all too familiar look in her eyes, distant and observing. It was familiar because she often held that same gaze with everything. Yet somehow this was the first time she saw that look on someone else. 

“Hey, Yang!” Sun said and stepped in through the broken window, instead of using the door like a normal person. “Ghira said you need to stay somewhere, you can crash on my sofa if you want!” He grinned and Yang couldn’t exactly decline. She nodded and flashed him a thumbs up, saying, “Yeah, sounds good.” He nodded a few times and mumbled an apology as he stepped back out through the window, hands braced on the frame so he wouldn’t fall. 

“My house is just over there-“ he pointed to a house with a bunch of tiny apple trees in the yard “-I’ll go get your stuff so just come over when you’re done.” And with that declaration, he left.

“So, who’s the poor girl that led him here?” Yang asked, smirking. Blake chuckled from where she stood, grinding the heel of her boot into the floor. “Me, sadly.” She pressed her tongue into her cheek to hide the fact that she was frowning, however that frown wasn’t lost on Yang. “ _Figures_... chasing a pretty girl across the country.” Yang said and Blake laughed humourlessly, still grinding her boot into the floor.

“Yeah well...” she paused as if she was going to confuse and let her frown show through. “ _Yeah_.”

Yang glanced back over and there was a sadness there that replaced the harsh, no-nonsense facade. Yang left it at that, not wanting to push her luck. She felt Blake’s eyes on her again, scrutinising, trying to figure something out. She quickly glanced over and Blake didn’t flinch, just slightly averted her gaze. The far off look had returned and Yang hated that it had. Because she knew what it meant; she was deep in her thoughts.

So, deciding to do what she wished people would do for her, she asked, “Is something wrong?” Somehow no one had ever asked her that, just spat advice and their own personal anecdotes in her face. Promising it would all be fine when they didn’t know what _it_ was. Blake smiled at the question and Yang smiled back, thinking that she might have got it right on the money. “No, I’m fine.” Blake said, reaching behind the counter she pulled out a box of rubber gloves. Yang didn’t question why she had them.

She walked over and kneeled down next to Yang, tucking some hair behind her ears. “Here, put these on before you cut yourself.” She said, slapping a pair of gloves in Yang’s lap. Blake pulled on a pair of gloves herself and started tossing broken glass into the box. “What are you doing?” Yang asked, it was her turn to be confused. Blake smiled. “Helping.” Another piece of broken glass tosses into the box. 

Yang put one of the gloves back in the box, pulling the remaining one on to her left hand. Blake raised an eyebrow looking at her hands, then her face expression turned guilty. “I’m so sorry, it’s just habit-“

”Don’t worry about it, you’re fine!” 

Yang smiled softly. Blake apparently had many layers, some harsh and sad, others soft and caring. Blake rolled her eyes at her. “I’m only helping because this is my store, don’t let it go to your head.” Yang hummed, nodding as she went back to work. She was _definitely_ going to let it go to her head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I going insane and writing chapters this fast? Yes
> 
> Also my hot take of the day is that I think Sun is really snide in canon, especially in the before the dawn preview.


	3. Sunflower Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang spends a little time getting to know Blake. She helps Ilia with her car.

Sun’s house was a yellow, garbage filled nightmare. His sofa was sofa wasn’t even one meant for indoors, _it was for the garden!_ A wooden bench with a pillow across it. It was at least better than staying at the cell. But then the rest of his living room was just... _trash_. She assumed he must be a hoarder or something because she couldn’t figure out why he would want four sets of nunchucks.

Yang couldn’t get up and out to Blake’s store quick enough.

And, strangely, she liked working with her hands again. She used to do a lot of manual labour, fixing stuff around the house, odd jobs she would take to make ends meet. She even used to work on her bike a lot and try her hand at some races. But there just wasn’t time for that anymore. Her life had descended into constantly practicing, speaking with Weiss and sponsors, dieticians turning up on her doorstep that someone decided she might need.

Yang realised that she missed doing stuff by herself without having someone else being told to do it for her, because that was who she was, totally independent. There was a time where she didn’t need to bite the hand who fed her because that hand was her own. But now, to preserve her career, she had to get along with everyone. Like when she was talking to Cinder’s PA Emerald at a party. She would love to have just smashed a bottle over her head because of the shit she was saying.

‘ _I mean, who the hell asks if their sister has something wrong with them because they keep shooting down a guy?_ ’ Yang thought.

She was just finishing putting the books into a neat little pile, satisfied at the sight of the clear empty floor. Except it wasn’t exactly clear, there were tyre marks across the floor, scratches from where glass and wood had fell harshly. Yang winced, she would have to fix that first. Which was no problem, she and her dad had put the flooring down in the bathroom together.

“Morning!” Velvet called out from behind her, unlocking the door. Yang didn’t have the keys to get inside so she just kind of... walked through the smashed window. “Hey, I was thinking of maybe replacing the flooring, it’s a little scuffed up,” she said, and it was more than _a little_ scuffed up, but Velvet probably got the idea. The brunette hummed, looking over the flooring.

“If you don’t mind doing it then go ahead, but maybe paint first.”

“Paint the floor or the walls?” Yang smirked. The joking nature wasn’t lost on Velvet as she smirked back, playfully pushing her arm. “The walls, obviously.” Velvet giggled and rolled her eyes. She walked around the counter to grab a camera Yang recognised as being the one she wore the day before. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll be back later,” She said, dismissing herself with a short wave as she left.

Yang didn’t mind, it meant she could get straight to work. Which was nice, it felt good to feel the push and pull of her own muscles. Very gratifying to watch as she rolled the brush over the wall, watching the fresh paint appear before her. Such a wild contrast to the old shade of white she was painting over with the yellow. It was nice, the wall so far was like a sunny day, warm and bright and it made her want to soak in it forever.

It reminded her of when she was younger, when herself, Ruby and her dad refurbished the house. Her dad, Tai, deciding that he couldn’t stand to look at it all after her moms passing, wanted everything redone. New sofa, new carpets, new bed, fresh paint. She and Ruby were only kids, but she understood what was happening more than Ruby did. It was a fun memory though, laughing as she and Ruby painted her bedroom red, covered in paint as they ran into the garden to play...

Her eyes were beginning to sting, maybe painting wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“How long have you been here for?” Yang’s head turned slightly, seeing Blake with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. Yang stared at her for a moment, didn’t know why she hadn’t expected Blake to drop by, then smiled. “I’m not sure, I don’t think it’s been long though,” she said, immediately going back to painting. “Velvet came in to get her camera.”

“That was an hour ago,” Blake said, a slight hint of amusement in her voice. Yang choked, almost dropping the paintbrush out of her hand. She hadn’t expected time to pass that quickly for her. Looking over what she had already done, she saw an entire wall and a half already painted a sunflower yellow. Maybe she had been enjoying it a bit too much. “She said something about you wanting to put a new floor down?” Blake pointedly looked over to the floor, sighing. There were splotches of paint all over it now, too.

“You may as well,” she said, chuckling and flicking her eyebrows. Yang nodded and silently went back to painting, a moment or two later Blake had picked up a brush and got to work beside her. She had no clue why Blake was bothering to help, but she supposed it was nice to have her company... it _was_ nice to have be in her company. There was something about her that made Yang want her around.

“How was Sun’s ‘ _sofa_ ’?” Blake smirked, making air quotes around the word sofa. Yang groaned and could feel the ache of her back from lying on that bench that Sun claimed to be a sofa. “Can’t believe you didn’t warn me about that,” Yang grumbled, drawing a laugh from Blake. “We don’t have the heart to tell him it’s uncomfortable, so we just let him keep it.” Blake tucked her hair back behind her ears as she began to pain, and Yang wondered how such a tiny movement could be so graceful.

“So... why’d you drop by?” Yang asked, because she didn’t want the conversation to die out. Why was this girl’s voice so husky and great to listen to? Maybe Yang was just really gay but... _wow_. “To come watch over you, wouldn’t want you running off without paying your debt,” Blake said, and Yang couldn’t read her tone at all. Was it playful or was she serious?

“You wanna watch me?” Yang said, smirking. “It’s alright, you can just say you like looking at me.”

Blake laughed, loud and almost sarcastic. “You are _so_ arrogant,” she says, taking a step back to open up another tub of paint. Blake was still smiling when Yang turned to glance at her. She took solace in the fact that even if Blake didn’t have a slight of interest in her, she was at least having fun. “Does your act _actually_ work on girls?” Blake asked, a curious tinge to her voice.

Yang didn’t want to say that she hadn’t been with a girl in years, because it would either make her like look like a loser or look like she liked Blake. But she did flirt with people, often, because it was fun. “Sometimes,” she said, which wasn’t exactly a lie. It was just that sometimes girls got the wrong idea and thought Yang might be interested in them, which was awkward when she had to explain that she wasn’t. Blake raised an eyebrow at her, half smirking. “Sometimes? Aren’t you supposed to be some big shot who can get any girl they want?” She said jokingly.

“Yeah well...” Yang didn’t know what to say, because there was a part of her own behaviour that stung. But it was better that way, because even though she felt guilty for pushing people away, she knew it would hurt her more if she let them into her life. Because when it comes down to it, everyone leaves. Including herself. And that was the sad truth. “Sometimes they’re just not interested.”

Blake turned to look at her with too much concern in her eyes for a stranger to have. “So how’d you meet Sun?” Yang asked, smoothly changing the subject. Blake’s ears flicked and she let out a soft sigh as she went back to painting. “I was living in Vale and I... was _bored_ with my life, I guess,” Blake said, and Yang caught onto how she hesitated for a moment. “One night I was out on a walk, I was upset from work, and Sun bumped into me. Then he wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“Sounds like a good guy.”

“He is, but he tries _way_ too hard.” They both chuckled. “Anyway, we ended up becoming friends. Then when I moved back here to be with my family, he came with me and dragged Neptune with him.”

“Aw, I thought it’d be more exciting than that.”

“There’s a little more to it. I didn’t have a car to get out of Vale, and it’s a long while away from here.”

“You’re really not gonna tell me about your kooky capers?”

Blake turned to her and smirked, “ _Nope_.”

She bent over to dip her brush into the paint, her hair sliding over her neck and revealing the nape. Yang grinned when she saw there was a tattoo there. There was a tattoo of a bird, flying downwards, it’s wings stretching out wide. It was only a small thing on the nape of her neck, but it was oddly beautiful. “Nice tattoo,” she said smugly, because for as much mystery as Blake tried to keep about herself, she was still finding things out about her.

Blake bolted upright, covering her neck with her hand, a small blush dusting over her cheeks as she turned towards Yang. The blonde smiled softly and said, “I’m being serious, it’s actually really pretty.” Blake’s blush somehow deepened, her ears tilting back slightly and her hand rubbed at the tattoo. “Thank you...” she said, lips slightly upturning, something genuinely grateful in her eyes. Blake bit her lip, hand still tracing the tattoo.

“I... I got it after I left my fiancé...”

Yang’s eyes widened slightly, the move from Vale to here was for a reason then.

“I’m so-“

“Don’t say you’re sorry,” she said, snapping so quickly it was like she had said this a million times before. Yang closed her mouth, stuck in the middle of a sentence that she was told not to finish. “That just makes it more meaningful, right?” Yang said. Blake giggled and closed her eyes, biting her lip again. “Yeah- I’m sorry, I don’t know why I told you that-“

“I haven’t spoken to my dad in three years, and I feel shitty because I know my sister misses him.” Yang figured that sharing a shitty story of her own would make her feel better. Blake blinked a few times to process. Then she realised that was stupid and had no idea why she felt so compelled to tell this woman anything about herself. “You don’t have to sympathise with it or anything, it was my fault... but at least now we can both feel better knowing someone else’s life is shitty too.”

Blake giggled and looked down at her feet shyly, shaking her head slightly. “I’m sure whatever happened with your dad, you had your reasons,” Blake said, almost as if she was trying to reassure her. Yang nodded and said, “Yeah, same way as I’m sure your ex was a douche.”

They both laughed at each other and shortly after got back to painting. Yang thought that it was nice to share something like that. Purple bruises exposed in a room filled with yellow sunshine. 

* * *

They were at a loss when they finally finished painting, which took longer than expected. Mainly because they kept stopping to talk or laugh at each other. Yang couldn’t remember the last time she had someone to laugh with who wasn’t a family member or Weiss. She had her friend Coco but they didn’t see each other often. When she and Coco did see each other though, she could barely remember what they spoke about thanks to the alcohol, it was all stories of Coco’s escapades. 

Talking with Blake was different though, someone who didn’t know anything about her. She hadn’t been there for the highs and lows. Didn’t see the first time she won a race or how she put her fist through her laptop screen when watching videos of Cinder Fall baiting her in interviews. Blake didn’t know any of that stuff, although Yang would likely slip up and tell her, but for now she didn’t know.

And that was nice. Because she got the feeling that Blake felt the same way. It was easy to laugh with someone over a story you were never present for, it made it easy for her not to lose her temper with Blake, because she didn’t know how she could just snap. Blake had jokingly dusted her brush over Yang’s nose, leaving a trail of yellow paint that made them both laugh. Usually Yang would get annoyed, say that the paint would mess up her skin, but she laughed it off...

It was nice. Whatever this was.

Whilst waiting for the paint to dry they decided they would go look for some new flooring. Yang didn’t know if Blake being in a fairly good mood would make that girl Ilia happy or not. She got her answer when they both stepped inside the store and Ilia’s face lit up when she saw Blake, then dropped again when she saw Yang. Seriously, what had she done to deserve this?... apart from the obvious.

“Need more paint? Maybe a window to reinstall,” Ilia snarked, leaning over the counter. Blake waved her off, walking around the shelves. “We’re replacing the floor while we’re at it,” Blake explained, already tapping her fingers off of a certain type of wood, trying to decide on what she liked. “We?” Ilia parroted, eyebrows furrowed and eyes squinting. Yang gulped, sensing that might not be a good sign.

She followed Blake, feeling protected by her presence. She rapped her knuckles off of a honey coloured oak wood, Yang thought it would go perfectly with the colour of the walls and shelves that she bought. She thought Blake would be great at decorating. She bet her house looks great, probably has that gentle lemony lavender smell just like her-

Yang shook her head, that was a weird and creepy thought. Hopefully she wouldn’t make a habit out of that, because she sounded like a serial killer. “This one’s nice isn’t it?” Blake asked, picking up the piece of wood, turning it in her hand as her eyes raked over it. Yang was honestly confused as to why Blake was asking her opinion, because why would she care? It’s Blake’s store, not hers. “Uh, yeah, it’s a nice colour,” Yang said, agreeing with her.

“Great, I’ll get a cart and we can take a few boxes of this.” Blake smiled and walked off. Yang did as she was asked, swooping four boxes up into her arms. She thought that would be more than enough for the floor. Blake returned with the cart, idly checking her scroll. Yang raised an eyebrow as she placed the boxes into the cart. “Everything alright?” She asked and Blake shook her head, tucking her scroll into her pocket.

“Yeah, my dad just needs me to go help him with something. Are you alright to take these back to the store?” She asked and Yang immediately nodded, humming a short ‘mhm’ in response. “Oh, and Ilia-“ Blake pointed over at the girl behind the counter as she began walking out the door “-just bill everything to my card.”

Ilia nodded then rolled her eyes once Blake had left, mumbling something. Yang pushed the cart over to the checkout, lifting one of the boxes onto the counter for Ilia to scan. Yang placed her bank card down into the counter and Ilia raised both eyebrows at her. If Yang was honest she would have the same reaction, she had no clue what had come over her. “I would feel shitty letting her pay for it,” Yang said, and Ilia just sighed and took the card, swiping it through for her.

“She doesn’t smile a lot,” Ilia said, sudden and abrupt. Yang didn’t know how to respond to that, so she waited with a curious look on her face to convey she wanted her to continue. “Blake’s such a great person, but she doesn’t smile much. Then today when she came in here with you, she had a smile on her face.” Ilia was looking at her like she should know what that meant, but she really didn’t. Or maybe she did and it just wasn’t clicking for her yet.

Apparently she was taking too long to understand and Ilia rolled her eyes, mumbling, “Never mind.” Yang began to put the boxes back into the cart but caught a glimpse of a steering wheel behind the counter, which struck her as out of place. “You sell car parts, too?” Yang asked. Ilia raised an eyebrow then followed her gaze to the steering wheel.

“Oh, no that’s for me. I had to get a new steering wheel for my car but I can’t figure out how to install it.” A lightbulb turned on inside of Yang’s head. She could fix this for Ilia and then maybe she’d be less spiky with her. Also she wouldn’t want her crashing her car thanks to a faulty steering wheel or something. “I could install it for you,” she said.

“You’re a motorcyclist, not a mechanic.”

“I’m serious, I know how to install a steering wheel. Have you got another hub adapter for your car?” Ilia looked her up and down, searching for a way that Yang could be bullshitting her. She sighed when she didn’t find one. “Okay... okay yeah, thanks, that’d be great,” she said, a look of genuine gratefulness coming across her face. Yang was surprised when her freckles lit up pink and concluded she was a Faunus, too.

Ilia told Yang to leave her cart in the store, saying they would come back for it after Yang fixed her steering wheel. That was better for the blonde, it she could just get the steering wheel installation part out of the way she could spend the rest of the day with Blake-

_No, no, no_ , she wasn’t going down that road.

Yang sat inside of the car, disconnecting the steering wheel cover. She removed the wires from the airbag and horn, removing the old hub and steering wheel. “So, you’re a Faunus, too?” Yang asked, making polite chat as she worked. Ilia nodded as she leaned against the car door. “Chameleon. Does it weird you out?”

“No, I always thought Faunus were cool. Not in a fetishist kind of way, more like I wished I had the extra hearing or the better eyesight.”

“I suppose it does have its perks.”

Yang hummed, a response for her to continue as she installed the new hub. “There’s a lot of racism,” Ilia said. Yang understood why she would feel that way then, prejudice was an ugly reality that she didn’t want to believe other people were capable of. But not everyone was so kind. “Personally,” she says, reconnecting the horn and airbag. “I never saw the appeal in bullying Faunus for being Faunus. We’re all people when it comes down to it.”

They went silent for a moment as Yang set about screwing on the new steering wheel. “Thanks for doing this by the way, Blake’s dad would normally help with this stuff but he doesn’t know how to install a steering wheel.”

“Is he a mechanic?”

“No, I think he used to work with cars or bikes or something.”

Yang hummed. That was intriguing. She sat back and smiled proudly at the freshly installed steering wheel. She pressed down on the horn, both of them smiling when the horn blasted out of the car. Yang hated to admit it, but she was actually, kind of, starting to like it here in Solanacae. There was something about this place, about the people, that made her want to be better. And that was a feeling she could get used to. 


	4. Hidden Under The Floorboards Of Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake continue to get to know each other, the conversations beginning to get heavier each time they speak. And Sun really wants to ride a motorcycle.

Yang had, once again, escaped from Sun’s house as quickly as she could. Although she had to say, she agreed with Blake. He was way too nice for his own good. Yang was just a freeloader in his home and he had gone out of his way to buy her shampoo and shower gel... _why_? She left a twenty lien bill on the coffee table before she left, she couldn’t let him buy stuff for her. It was nice enough that he was letting her stay.

She had went back to Ilia’s store to pick up more slats of wood for the floor. Last night she and Blake had repainted and tore up the floor, they immediately burst out laughing at how they thought only a few boxes would be enough to fill the empty space.

The little town of Solanacae was serene, Yang decided, because despite the stifling heat from being in the forest _and_ the town being stuck in between Vale and Vacuo, it was really peaceful. There was no bustling street filled with cars, no shouting or any fights. No drunkards banging off of the walls. It was just tranquil. Even the fresh smell in the air was nice.

She passed by a garden, a woman, of whom she recognised to be Mrs Belladonna, was watering her plants. Although she didn’t seem to be coping very well. The woman noticed her standing there and looked up, smiling shyly. Yang smiled back and said, “Do you need a hand?” The Faunus woman stood up straight, wiping her forehead with the back of her hands. “If you’re not too busy, then please,” she said.

Yang nodded and put the boxes down on the sidewalk, stepping into the garden. She reached down to pick up the watering can and immediately recognised the woman’s predicament. She had put in too much water, which meant it was super heavy. Yang smiled and lifted it with her hand, testing the weight of it. “You should maybe pour less water into this, it’ll make it easier to water your plants,” She said, grinning and knowing full well that she was right.

The woman smirked and raised an eyebrow at her, her earrings jingling as she tilted her head to the side. “What would you know about gardening?” She said, and Yang knew there wasn’t any malice behind it from the way she continued to smirk. Yang hummed as she began to water the flowers, she recognised them to be pink camellias, flowers that her dad planted after her mom passed.

“I used to do a lot of gardening with my mom and my sister,” she said. Yang tended to hold memory’s of her mom close, even when sometimes she felt like she couldn’t remember them. But the gardening always stuck with her, because she remembered how fun it was. The backyard had ended up filled to the brim with sunflowers and roses, each picked out by Yang and Ruby respectfully. Her mom happily helped them plant the flowers, making sure they were watered everyday.

“Blake used to do a lot of gardening with me, she actually planted these.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, try not to sound _too_ surprised.” She laughed and guided Yang across the garden once she finished with one set of flowers, leading her into watering a bush of azaleas. Yang thought this whole ordeal was comforting, it made her realise that she missed gardening even though she hadn’t been all that into it in the first place. “I’m not surprised, I just didn’t take her for someone who liked pink,” Yang says as she sprinkles the water over the azaleas.

“You’ll find that my daughter has a lot of things hidden up her sleeve.” Yang hummed in agreement with her, hooking her thumb into the belt loops of her trousers as she looked over at the woman and said, “So I’m learning.”

The woman smiled softly, a tenderness that only a mother could show which was long forgotten by Yang. Weiss had suggested that maybe she should see a therapist, which Yang considered to be a waste of time. Why would she pay seventy-five lien for some woman to tell her she has issues, only for her to respond ‘I know, I’m sure I’ll live.’ But now that she thought about it she should probably go to a therapist... just a thought... a bullshit thought that she had already decided against. 

“You can call me Kali, by the way,” she said, her Faunus ears gently twisting. Yang nodded, she liked how lovely this woman was. “Alright then, Kali,” Yang said, testing the name out. She liked how familiar it sounded, like she had said it a hundred times over and could say it again. “You’re not done yet, I still need you to water the lemon trees.” Kali took Yang’s wrist, guiding her around the garden once more.

“Lemon trees?”

“My husband bought them thinking they were just ordinary trees. You should’ve seen his face when the lemons started to grow.” Yang chuckled, she could imagine the stern face of Ghira, twisted in confusion as he stared at a lemon. Yang had to admit, she liked the garden, it was colourful, and the mini lemon trees were quite cute. She wondered if Blake liked them as well. The blonde glanced up at the house, a sleek white exterior with dark wooden window frames.

“So Blake lives here with you?” Yang asked, then immediately regretted asking. She didn’t want to seem interested even if she was, because she wasn’t supposed to be. “No, she actually stays just down the street. Her and Velvet live together.” Yang raised her eyebrows in surprise. Somehow she didn’t expect that and it was another example of how Blake was full of surprises. When she thought of Blake coming back to stay with her parents, it was more of a ‘oh, she lives with them still’ kind of thought.

“Speaking of, there’s Blake now,” Kali said, half smirking. Yang shot up, realised that might look horrible in front of the girls mother, then began to slow her movements. Kali giggled and Yang knew she had caught on to her eagerness, she smiled nervously. Blake stood at the other side of the fence, one hand behind her back and the other holding onto the fence. “What are you doing?” Blake asked, sounding amused.

Yang stuttered and held the watering can up, unable to form words. She hoped Blake got the idea. Kali laughed and shook her head, taking the watering can out of her hand. “She was helping with the garden, you’re free to take her now,” Kali says as she placed a hand on Yang’s back, pushing her forward slightly. The blonde took the hint and started to walk out of the garden, picking up the boxes she left on the sidewalk. Blake shuffled slightly, keeping one hand steadfast behind her back.

Yang sighed as she stood up, she immediately missed how light the watering can was compared to the boxes of wooden slats. “We good to go?” She asked and Blake nodded at her, gesturing for her to lead the way.

“Blake, what are you ho-“

“Bye mom, great seeing you!” 

* * *

So far, the store looked _great_. Sure, there wasn’t a window, or a floor and there was a ton of boxes lying around. But the paint looked great. It was warm and inviting, a great choice overall. She set the boxes down and began to open them up, pulling out the wooden slats. She reached over for the saw and box of pencils they bought. Yang was beginning to feel like a DIY expert.

There was a rustling of a bag and Blake shuffling around the countertop that would normally be a checkout desk. “Yang,” Blake called out, hand waving for her to come over. Yang hummed and did as she asked, even if she did want to get started on laying the floor. Yang let out an involuntary chuckle when she saw a small box of fruit, a sandwich and a bottle of water.

“You brought me breakfast?” Yang asked, a smug smile spreading on her face. Blake rolled her eyes and took a step towards the box of flooring, taking it with her to the other side of the empty room. The blonde bit her lip to retain her smile, picking out a strawberry to pop in her mouth. “Is this your way of telling me my smooth moves are working?” Blake’s ears flicked back as she narrowed her eyes at Yang.

“No, it’s because I noticed you didn’t eat breakfast yesterday,” Blake said, casually slotting the flooring into place. Yang wondered if she had also done this before, Blake seemed really willing to dive headfirst into projects like this. Yang hummed and inspected the breakfast Blake had brought her, throwing another strawberry in her mouth. “That was nice of you though, bringing me a full course meal from your house.” She smirked.

“It’s just stuff I picked up whilst I was in the store.”

“I didn’t know stores sold sandwiches and fruit in Tupperware.”

Yang looked over to see Blake blushing, pouting as she continued to lay the floor down. The thought of Blake going out of her way to fix breakfast for her gave her butterflies, it made her feel like she was a twelve year old talking to her crush. It made her blush as well. Blake glanced up at her and they both giggled like children. “Okay, _fine_. I brought it from home. Only because I was worried you’d go hungry.” Yang nodded, trying to retain her cocky persona.

“Sounds like you like me.”

“ _I do not_ , I’m just a considerate person.”

“ _Sure_. It’s an awful lot of well crafted food for being considerate though.”

Blake rolled her eyes, clearing her throat in an attempt to try and regain some sort of control. “Have you ever considered I might be straight?” She jabbed, but that jab didn’t at all phase Yang. She had been around enough queer woman to just know these things. “Not really, unless you’re just a major goth and I’ve misread your vibe,” Yang says, twisting off the lid on the bottle of water. Blake flicks an eyebrow, twisting to sit down on the ground.

“Well, I’m bisexual,” she said, gulping and smiling nervously. Although Yang had no clue what there was to be nervous about, of course she didn’t mind. Live and let live. “Cool,” Yang cooed and watched as Blake looked strangely relieved. She didn’t want to pry but... well, she didn’t want to pry. If Blake told her the reason she was nervous about it, that would be her business.

“My parents had no reaction when I told them, they just said ‘good for you hunny’ and went about their day,” Blake says, a small simper crossing her lips. Yang chuckled and nodded, she liked when parents gave zero fucks as long as their kid was happy with whoever they were dating. “My dad didn’t care either, it was my sister he was more... _confused_ by.” Blake hummed, sitting back on her hands as she gave Yang her full attention. “She’s asexual- my sister - and my dad just didn’t get it. I don’t know _why_ ,” Yang said, accompanied by a sigh.

“Is that why you haven’t spoke to him?”

“No... well, _yes_. It was a lot of things. Like how I would do illegal street races-“ Blake snorted “-and my dad would get pissed that I took my sister to watch.” Yang closed her eyes and shook her head, thinking back her dad was so pissed off at her. So angry because he thought she was doing reckless bullshit that could get her and Ruby into trouble. “He told me to leave so I did, then my sister came with me because he said maybe she just hasn’t found the right person yet... it all just makes me feel shitty sometimes.”

“She can always go back though, right? She doesn’t have to stay with you.”

“Of course! If she wanted to go back home I’d make sure she got there. But she... doesn’t want to leave me.” Sometimes Yang thought Ruby used her as a substitute for their mom, which she had been for a while. She thought maybe that’s why Ruby barely ever wanted to leave her side, the only exceptions being a good video game or something else that caught her eye. Blake frowned, something about the way she was looking at her made her think she was sympathetic.

“I get it. She feels safe with you because you... you just love her,” Blake said, smiling, which was more of a slight upturn if her lips than anything. Yang chuckled and shyly looked down at her boots, she wasn’t wrong. “My fiancé hated it when he found out I was bisexual... sometimes I thought he just hated _me_ ,” she said, flicking her eyebrow again and huffing out a mirthless laugh.

Yang hummed, a sound bordering on a growl. Something about that made her hate whoever this guy was. She hadn’t known Blake for long, but so far she seemed so kind and genuine. She found it hard to believe anyone could hate her.

“It got to the point where he would say I couldn’t go out with anyone, because he thought I could cheat on him with anyone.”

“How... how’d you eventually get away from him?”

“He went out for work one night, locked me in the apartment.” Yang’s brows knitted together, the more she spoke about him the more of a psycho this guy was. “So I took all the money I had lying around, broke the door-“ Yang snorted, causing Blake to half chuckle with her “-and I left.”

Yang wasn’t stupid, she could piece it all together. “So that’s how you really met Sun then?” Blake pursed her lips and looked down, nodding. “Yeah... sorry for lying about it.”

“Don’t be,” Yang says as she shook her head. “You were just cautious about telling me, that’s all.”

Blake smiled, small and soft. Yang couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to her, even about stuff as heavy as what they were talking about. There something about Blake that made Yang want to tell her everything; confess her crimes and beg for forgiveness. She made her want to just be better. Because, in truth, she wasn’t a great person. Even right now she wasn’t a great sister, Ruby must be having panic attacks left, right and centre.

“Well...” Yang started, then realised she had no clue what she was about to say. “I think you deserve better than whatever that asshole was.” They both laughed, Blake’s cheeks lighting up pink as she looked down again, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “I also think you deserve a real floor.”

She pushed herself off of the counter, taking strides towards Blake. She picked up a few slats of wood. “Should we get to it?” 

* * *

Yang and Blake spent most of the day laying the floorboards, even then they were only halfway finished. She was glad she had agreed with Blake on this colour, it did go well with the walls. Yang also discovered that Blake was unbelievably good at sawing, which terrified her. Seriously, how can _one woman_ saw a piece of wood so cleanly in _one stroke_? 

_Amazing_. 

They had stopped for food a little while ago. Actually getting it from the store this time. It was just frozen wraps, nothing snazzy like Blake had fixed up this morning. Yang was also taken aback by how her version of ‘snazzy’ was a Tupperware box with berries and a brown bread sandwich. Maybe she should eat healthier instead of just buying takeout. 

“I know I’ve already said it a bunch, but this place really is gorgeous,” Yang said, twiddling the thin handle of the plastic bag between her fingers. Blake hummed in agreement with her. “Want to go a walk?” Blake asked, already walking ahead. Yang assumed the question had been rhetorical because Blake should’ve known by now that she wouldn’t say no. 

Blake led them down a dusty stone path, the sound of a stream echoing around them. By the looks of all the greenery, Yang didn’t think Kali needed a garden. There were gorgeous bushes of flowers that sat next to the trees, tall and proud in their height. A few stones littered with moss, where a family of bugs resided. Blake led them off of the path to a small stone bench. She sat down and patted for Yang to join her. 

“Is this your house?” Yang grinned, pressing the elbow of her prosthetic into her knee and resting her head on her fist. Blake rolled her eyes and said, “ _Ha-ha, you’re so funny._ ” Yang continued to grin but noticed how Blake’s eyes came to fall on her prosthetic, eyes raking over every detail of it. “Motorcycle accident,” Yang spoke, sure that Blake was about ready to ask how she lost her arm. 

“I was seventeen and there was these group of douchebags that worked for the White Fang.” 

“The White Fang disbanded almost ten years ago.”

“No, the other White Fang- you lived in Vale you must know what I’m talking about!” Yang laughed, trying to keep the mood light. Blake however didn’t think anything was funny, her face paled slightly. “Why were you involved with a _gang_?” Blake asked and Yang shrugged. “I wasn’t really, they were just these group of guys that liked street racing and payed good money. They didn’t exactly play fair though. They bumped into my bike during a race and my arm got caught under the bike.”

“But it got worse, I was stuck under my bike, with a huge slice down my arm. Turns out I got a pretty bed infection.”

“They couldn’t just treat the infection?”

“No, it was in the entirety of my forearm. So they had to cut it off. My friend Weiss sent over this prosthetic and-“ Yang sat up and flexed her robotic hand “-here I am.”

Blake wiped her face, her ears pinning back against her head. Yang didn’t know why Blake seemed upset, she hoped it wasn’t because of her being... _her_. Yang swallowed, her hand reaching out to gently touch Blake’s shoulder, metal fingers taking car not to grab her too hard. “Are you alright?” She asked and Blake nodded, brushing her bangs back as she sat upright. Her bangs bounced back into place as soon as her hand came away from her head.

“My fiancé used to work for that gang... and I don’t-“

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Yang said, thumb drawing circles in Blake’s shoulder. She tilted her head over to look at Yang, a completely neutral expression was painted on her face. Yang smiled, not knowing how to continue that sentiment she had started. She wasn’t trying to make it too heavy, nor did she want to. She just wanted this confusing, _extremely_ attractive and sarcastic girl to smile again like she had been all day.

“I’m sorry, it’s just hard,” Blake said, reaching over for the bag, pulling out the cold wraps they had bought from the store. “You always hear people saying it gets easier with time, but it still hurts.” Yang was beginning to realise that whoever this fiancé was, he still had some sort of influence over her. And whatever he did, that wound still hadn’t fully healed, it had just scabbed over, but all she had to do was pick at it and it would start to hurt again.

“What... what does your mom say about everything?”

Blake chuckled and raised an eyebrow. “And you’re asking because your besties with my mom now?” She joked, and Yang was glad she was trying to turn the mood for herself, but realised something. Something that Weiss always told her that she did herself. Blake was deflecting. God, maybe she wasn’t the only person who needed therapy. “I was just helping her with her garden!”

“Yeah that’s what happens at first, next thing you know you’ll be getting invited over for family game night.”

“I’ll have you know, I am a master at playing Remnant.”

“Of all the board games, you chose the nerdiest one.”

“Shut up! Me and my sister love that game!”

“Can’t wait to tell everyone that Yang Xiao-Long is a huge nerd.”

* * *

It turns out that Yang may have underestimated how used to being here she felt. She hadn’t sat in a forest since she was sixteen yet doing it with Blake was like she had being doing it everyday for a lifetime. It was a dangerous feeling, she knew that, because she couldn’t get comfortable. She was here to pay her dues then leave, get back to her life and to tell Cinder Fall that she could kiss her ass. 

But all of that felt... _shallow_. In comparison to what she was doing now at least, she realised that it was all shallow and superficial. Because unlike most of the people she had spoke to in the last few years, she liked talking to everyone here. Then there was the whole doing things for herself part that made her feel human again.

Yang was walking back into town with Blake, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her trousers, kicking a stone as she walked. There was silence between, comfortable and easy, like she had been searching for so long. She knew it was unorthodox- stupid, even. Amongst roaring crowds and engines; she wanted silence.

And she had finally gotten that, by pure happenstance, in this serene little town whilst in the company of a girl she could only describe as complex.

Yet there was simple movements she did that always caught Yang’s attention. Like how Blake would rub her other fingers with her thumb or how she would roll her ankle in the air mid-step. It was strange, really. She barely knew this girl yet for some reason, Blake made her feel good about herself. Which was a feeling she had only vaguely felt the last few years.

“Hey, Yang!” Sun’s voice echoed out across the street. Yang paused and looked around, eyes finally finding Sun standing next to her motorcycle. She hadn’t saw that baby in a few days, despite a few scratches it looked food as new. Blake gently tapped her back and said, “Go, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Yang wanted to protest, to say she would rather spend time with Blake than that other dude. But she sighed and nodded, letting Blake leave with a smile.

Yang begrudgingly jogged over to Sun. He was great and all but... well Blake was better. “Ghira told me to take your bike out of his garage. Mind giving me a hand with it back to the house?” Yang hummed and grabbed them other handlebar, lifting it up and rolling the bike forward. “I always wanted to learn how to ride one of these things, never got around to it though,” Sun said, a wistful sigh escaping his lips. Yang raised an eyebrow, he almost sounded like he was hinting at her.

“Do you have the keys, Sun?”

“Yeah?”

“Want to learn how to ride-“

“ _Yes_!” Sun yelled, jumping in the air and pumping his fist. Yang almost dropped the bike entirely but managed to catch it before it could fall. She chuckled at his childish glee. Sun whipped the keys out of his pocket, passing them to Yang who immediately put them in the ignition. She threw her leg over the bike, straddling it in an all too familiar way.

Yang realised then that she could just leave if she wanted to. Who was going to stop her, she had her bike? But she honestly couldn’t come up with an idea as to why she would want to leave now.

Yang got back off of the bike and gestured for Sun to sit down, which he immediately did so. He held a large grin on his face, practically bouncing in the seat with excitement. Yang held the handlebar as she leaned over the bike and pointed to the clutch. “So, you’re gonna want to put your hands... here,” Yang said as she guided his hands to the handlebars, urging him to hunch forward. “Your left foot is gonna sit on the shifter, after you pull the clutch you’re gonna want to put it into the first gear.” Sun nodded, seemingly taking it all in, left foot already testing out how to change the gears.

Sun pulled the clutch and shifted into the first gear, already getting the hang of it. “Slowly release the clutch and slowly twist the throttle, which is the right handlebar.” Sun was already following her instructions, beginning to get a bit of forward momentum. Yang began walking alongside him, not letting go of the bike in case he fell. “Under your right foot is the rear break and the lever on the right handlebar is the front brakes-“ Sun began to speed up again until Yang was jogging alongside the bike.

Sun grinned and picked up more speed, grinning madly as he took off down the empty street like a bat out to hell. Yang laughed loudly and ran after him, yelling, “You better not make off with my bike sunshine!” Sun let out a long ‘ _yahoo_ ’ as he continued along the street, somehow managing to turn around a corner. Yang was in awe that he was such a natural at this.

Or she _was_ in awe until he tried to stop the bike outside of his house, only to clamp down on the brakes too hard and go flying over the handlebars, straight into his grassy garden. “Sun!” She yelled, sprinting down towards him. Luckily her bike fell into the fence so there wasn’t much damage done there, but Sun was face down in the grass, a skid mark across the mud beneath him.

He bounced up to his feet and pumped his fists in the air, eyes glinting as he looked at Yang with adoration. “That was _awesome_! We’ve gotta do that again!” He insisted, both hands clamped onto Yang’s shoulders as he stared at her expectantly. When she heard Blake’s melodic laugh off in the distance, she decided that she couldn’t say no to him...

Yang definitely wasn’t using her own bike next time though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today’s head canon is Sun sees Yang’s motorcycle and really wants her to teach him how to ride it.


	5. The Comfier Couch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Blake finish putting down the floorboards and learn even more about each other. Velvet teases them. And Yang helps get Neptune over his fear of water.

Letting Sun ride her motorcycle was _the worst_ decision Yang had ever made.

Not because he damaged it or anything, no, she just had to do a ton of running after him whilst Blake stood at the other side of the street laughing her ass off. At least she got a kick out of it, meanwhile Yang’s lungs were on fire and her ears were shot from listening to Sun screaming. It was fun at least. Yang hadn’t ran like that since she had to chase down her dog.

She stepped outside of Sun’s house, freshly showered and muscles pleasantly sore. She stretched her arms, hearing her shoulder pop as she did so. She spotted Velvet across the road and waved at her, she smiled and waved back, stopping to wait for Yang.

“Blake said Sun stole your motorcycle or something?” Velvet chuckled, folding her arms as they walked. Yang laughed and said, “I was teaching him how to ride one and he just kind of... _took off._ ”

“Were you surprised at how adept he was?”

“ _Extremely_. I’m guessing he does that a lot?”

“Yup, he’s a jack of all trades,” Velvet said, rubbing her elbows, it wasn’t at all cold out but maybe it was just a nervous tic. Yang hummed, she could see how Sun could be good at a lot of things, but she could also see he wasn’t the smartest person. “So,” Yang said, immediately moving onto another conversation. “How do you know Blake? Sun had a whacky story about her.”

Velvet chuckled and shrugged slightly, tilting her head towards Yang. “We went to the same parties in Vale and then we went to college together. Nothing exciting, sorry,” she says as her ears wriggle above her head in response to the gentle breeze billowing towards them. “You have no exciting Vale stories? Not even a _scandalous_ fling?” Yang grinned, clearly joking.

Velvet laughed and shook her head, no. “I used to go to Pharos Academy, I barely had any friends but it was cool in its own right,” Velvet said, Yang hummed thoughtfully in response. She remembered Coco went to that school. “Oh, and there was this girl that was super popular. I was always too shy to talk to her but she was really cool.”

“You didn’t just say screw it and go talk to her one day?”

“ _No_ ,” Velvet said, the word ringing out as she widened her eyes, a gentle blush dusting her cheeks. “She was out of my league, besides she was a _total_ heartbreaker. There was always little jokes amongst people though, I remember she got called hot chocolate.” Yang blinked a few times to process. She couldn’t have been talking about Coco, could she? The description matched up.

“Are you talking about Coco? Coco Adel?” She asked. She grinned broadly when Velvet’s jaw dropped. “ _You know her?!_ ” Velvet exclaimed, stopping in her tracks as she was seemingly in shock. “Yeah! We’ve been friends for a couple years now,” Yang explained, both of them laughing at each other. Velvet puffed out a sigh and walked ahead, unlocking the door to the bookstore for Yang. It was crazy how they could’ve known each other, it was also crazy how she could’ve met Blake also.

Huh... what a strange coincidence. You could call it fate. Either that or divine intervention.

“Hey, next time I see her I could tell her to give you a call. Set you up-“

“Okay, okay, you’re friends with a girl I had a high school crush on, don’t be an ass about it.”

“I’m just saying, she’s been single for two years now,” Yang cooed, twirling around the room as she tried to find the saw she left lying around. She swore she had left it here on the floor but, for some reason, it was missing. She scratched at the back of her head, trying to wrack her brain as to where it could be. “Single for two years? I don’t know if I believe that,” Velvet said, laughing as she ducked behind the counter to pick up a box of lightbulbs. Yang hummed, she wouldn’t believe that Coco was single either if it wasn’t for the amount of emotions that spewed from Coco.

Yang wished she would get a girlfriend so she would have to listen to her life problems anymore. It wasn’t her fault Coco was upset about how she couldn’t find a photographer-

Her head snapped over to Velvet, then to her camera. “Actually, _she is_ looking for a photographer,” Yang said, giving up on looking for the saw for the time being and sticking her hands in her short pockets. Velvet rolled her eyes. “ _How coincidental_ ,” she said dryly, arms folded over her chest. “What’s next? Will you _conveniently_ need to come back here after you’re gone for some books?”

“No I’m serious, _every_ photographer she’s hired screwed her over.” Yang stood still for a moment, letting Velvet’s sentence set in. It was one of the few moments in her life where she would admit she was quite slow. “ _Wait_! What makes you think I’d come back here just for some books?” Yang sputtered, knowing full well what Velvet meant but unwilling to say that out loud. The Faunus girl shrugged and smirked, “Well, not _just_ for the books.”

The door clicked open and in came Blake, holding a plastic bag like she did the day before. Yang’s features softened when she saw her, but she tried to look anything but affected by Blake’s presence when she heard Velvet laugh. It didn’t work but at least she tried. Blake raised an eyebrow at them, walking over to the counter to place the bag down on top of it.

“What’s in the bag?” Velvet asked, ears flicking curiously. Blake hummed and pulled out the Tupperware boxes, waving them at Velvet who only grinned in response and looked over to Yang. “I think she likes you-“ Blake slapped Velvet’s arm and scowled at her, eyes narrowed and ears pinned back. Although her cheeks were tinted pink, conveying something that definitely wasn’t annoyance.

Yang cleared her throat, somehow embarrassed herself. She wanted to move on from whatever this was. “Blake do you know where I left the saw?” She asked and Blake nodded, reaching back into the bag she pulled out the saw, now clad in its nylon case. “I took it with me.” Velvet flicked her eyebrows, the look on her face showing she suspected there was a reason she took the tool with her.

And, of course, Yang took the bait and asked her, “Why’d you take it with you?”

“Because you’re super great at all this DIY stuff, but you can’t measure to save yourself-“

“That is untrue!”

“ _No_ \- Velv look at this,” Blake said as she reached down to the pile of unusable wooden slats. She held up a small piece of wood that looked like it could slot into the doorframe. “Look, it’s not even in a straight line!” Blake laughed, holding it up for Velvet to see. Admittedly Yang hadn’t cut the wood correctly, which was why it was in the waste pile. But the slanted sides were cut correctly which she considered to be a success!

Yang walked over, laughing as she tapped her finger off of the edges of the wood. “You’ve gotta give me credit for this part,” she said and Blake smirked. “I would but you not being able to cut in a straight line negates that credit.”

“ _Come on!_ It’s not even _that_ bad! Give it here-“

“No! _Get away_!”

Yang ended up locked in a competition of trying to steal the piece of wood from Blake’s hands, a competition that she was currently losing. The two of them laughed as Yang kept reaching for the wood, only for Blake to move it away. It was childish, immature, yet _so fun_. Velvet rolled her eyes at them, then smirked as she walked towards the door. “Yang?” Velvet called out. Yang and Blake paused their shenanigans for the time being, Blake’s hand absently resting on Yang’s arm.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Velvet asked. Yang chuckled lightly and raised an eyebrow. “No?” She replied, a little confused by the question. Velvet hummed as she opened the door, still smirking. “Yeah, I knew that. Blake looked it up online last night.” And with that said, Velvet left. Blake coughed out a laugh, cheeks heating at the sight of Yang’s grin.

“Did you really?” Yang asked, still grinning madly, far too giddy about this revelation than she should be. Blake pouted and shook her head. “No, I didn’t...” her eyes flirted up to peer at Yang from under her lashes. “But, out of curiosity, do you?”

Yang had to say, there was an intense fluttering in her stomach that made her want to vomit in this moment. But that was outweighed by every other curious emotion buzzing through her.

“I don’t, I haven’t for a while,” she said then all of those emotions buzzing through her ceased when Blake just hummed and turned away. Maybe she got the wrong idea. Blake pushed herself up onto the counter, sitting on the edge and popping open the Tupperware boxes. Yang huffed our a laugh through her nose when she realised that his was Blake’s breakfast too. “How long is a while?” She asked.

“Depends, are we talking about a real girlfriend or someone I’ve just fooled around with?”

“The first one.”

Yang pursed her lips and looked down at her feet, shuffling them shyly. She mumbled something incoherent that she knew Blake couldn’t hear. “Come on, just say,” Blake prodded, lightly kicking Yang with her foot. “Six years-“

“ _Six years_?!”

“Shut up! It’s embarrassing!” Yang pouted and scratched the back of her head, she did find it to be an aspect of herself that she found to be very humiliating. It was one of the many things Weiss said she should stop being afraid of. Y’know because Weiss Schnee, lesbian in denial, was an _expert_ with relationships. But between work, Ruby and whatever was lined up in the next hour that she was somehow unaware of, she didn’t really have time for it.

And... emotions were _terrifying_ , she thought so anyway.

“It’s not embarrassing, it’s just... _surprising_ , I guess,” Blake said, seeming strangely endeared by this news. “If it makes you feel better, I haven’t dated anyone in four years.” Blake stuck her tongue into her cheek as she fiddled with the design on her shirt, looking embarrassed herself. Yang hummed and looked up at her, that actually did make her feel better. Less like a hermit and more like an emotionally damaged individual... that wasn’t better but still. 

“Guessing that was after your fiancé?” She asked, Blake nodded as she looked up at her again. Yang was only glad that she hadn’t overstepped. “I still think it’s shitty what he must’ve put you through... Is he why you haven’t gotten with anyone?” 

Blake chuckled humourlessly and shook her head, a tiny smile on her face. “No I’ve just never been interested in anyone I suppose. Sun tried to ask me out a few times and every time I said no.”

“Poor guy, breaking his heart like that.”

“I can assure you, he’s quick to get over it,” The Faunus girl said, gaining a small laugh from Yang. There was a bout of silence as they settled into it comfortably, something about Blake’s presence was calming, and Yang thought that maybe Blake felt the same way. Blake’s ears swivelled, awkwardly clearing her throat as she blushed again.

“Should we get started on the rest of this floor?” Blake asked. Yang looked at her incredulously and reached to the side of her, picking up the boxes of food Blake had brought. “There is real food here that you cooked for me, the floor can wait, I’m not gonna waste this,” she said, grinning.

Yang did think of saying ‘You can cook food without it tasting like dirt and I find that really hot for some reason.’ But there was a part of her that knew that might sound misogynistic. So instead she gratefully ate the food and got back to work. 

* * *

They finished laying the floorboards by the early evening, the sun casting an orange glow over the already golden room. It was gorgeous, they both agreed, and also quite an achievement that they finished this and disposed of all of the spare wood by this time. 

Blake’s dad dropped by to have a look, still just as terrifying as he was a few a day’s ago. He stared Yang down more than once, his gaze flicking to Blake every few moments, sending her warning signs. Which Blake ignored, seeming to know something he didn’t. Ghira claimed that Yang wouldn’t have gotten any of the work done this quickly without Blake’s help, not wanting to offend her, Yang agreed. He left seeming much more smug with that answer. 

“What’s the deal with your dad?” Yang asked, genuinely curious. “What’s his deal? He’s a grouchy old man, what else can I say,” Blake said, chuckling as she picked up her keys. Yang chuckled as well, tucking a part of her t-shirt into the back of her shorts before she clasped her hands behind her back. “I mean, like, what does he do? I heard Sun say he has a garage.”

“Well, he actually used to be a racer. But that was _looooong_ before I was born.” 

“Would it be rude of me to ask how old you are?”

“I’m only twenty-four, so I’m gonna say no.” Blake giggled as she walked over to Yang, ghosting past her to pull open the door. The blonde hummed, pleasantly surprised. “That’s cool that we’re the same age,” Yang said with a smile. She was somewhat surprised that Blake was the same age as her, if she had to hazard a guess she would say she looked maybe a year or two younger. Which wasn’t a bad thing. 

“Yeah, one of those happy little coincidences, isn’t it?” Blake says as she fixes the belt on her own pair of shorts, loosely shaking the t-shirt that hung over her small frame. Yang was glad she had shorts packed when she left, because today was the hottest day she had ever experienced. It didn’t help that she was extremely warm blooded, making her a walking space heater. Great for the winter, but not any other season.

“So, do you want to hang-“

“ **SUN! _DON’T_ TOUCH ME!**”

Both Yang and Blake looked at each other before jogging off in the direction of what was most certainly Neptune’s voice. She couldn’t say she was all that worried about Sun hurting Neptune, but there was the possibility he had hurt himself. And if she had learned anything, it was that Sun wasn’t the most safe of people to be around. She had seen how he rode motorcycles into the literal dirt without a care. 

They came across what, Yang was now dubbing, the most serene lake she had ever seen in her life. It was, like everything else in this town, mostly hidden by the treetops, where long vines filled with flowers would hang down above the water. A small wooden pier stretched into the water and petals had fluttered into the lake, which was somehow immaculate despite it being... well, _a lake_. Yang’s jaw dropped, totally in awe of this sight before her.

Blake giggled and rolled her eyes. “It’s not that impressive,” she said, seeming amused by Yang’s expression. “How could you say that? It’s awesome!” Yang exclaimed, pointing towards the water. Blake giggled and fondly rolled her eyes again, taking steps towards where Sun and Neptune stood. Sun stood with only his shorts on, shirt and shoes tossed aside as it looked like he was about to dive into the water.

“You’ve gotta get over it at some point! It’s not even that deep!” He said, arms flailing wildly at the water. Yang raised an eyebrow at Blake, a silent question being asked about what was going on. Blake sighed exasperatedly. “Neptune’s afraid of the water...” she says as she runs a hand through her hair, ears twitching at her own touch. Yang hums, thinking it was ironic, and turns back to facing the boys. Neptune was already down to his shorts as well, maybe he had planned on trying to go in but chickened out?

Yang had no clue, but she remembered when she taught Ruby how to swim, and that had been a piece of cake. She flashed a lopsided grin towards Blake then took a few strides forward, waving as she greeted the boys. “Yang!” Sun exclaimed, tail swaying behind him. “Tell him there’s nothing to be scared of! It’s just a little water!”

Yang chuckled and looked over to Neptune, who was pouting and had his arms crossed over his chest. “Want me to help you into the water?” She asked, directed towards Neptune. He raised an eyebrow, so perfectly groomed it could match Weiss’ expert skills. “What do you mean?” He asked. Yang had no idea how he couldn’t know what that meant but that was fine, she could deal with it.

She kicked her shoes off and took a step into the lake, twisting and stretching a hand out towards Neptune. “Come on, it’s not so bad. Think of it like stepping into a huge bath,” Yang said, smiling and waiting for Neptune to hopefully comply. He warily took hold of Yang’s hand, taking a step towards the water. He dipped a toe in and immediately jumped back. 

“What if something grabs me?!”

“Nothing’s gonna grab you, I promise.”

Neptune eyed her up and down, looking over to Sun for support. He only shrugged him off. Taking a deep breath, Neptune took hold of Yang’s hand again, letting himself be guided into the water. He slowly took step after step into the lake, shaking slightly, until finally he was standing just next to Yang. Completely unharmed. He chuckled happily and splashed the water, saying, “Hey, this isn’t so bad!”

“Told you so,” Yang said, looking up at Blake. There was a part of her that hoped she would be impressed by this; and she was. Blake looked utterly shocked. She walked along the small wooden pier, smiling down at Yang. The blonde smiled back and didn’t know what she could say. Did it seem like she only did that to impress her? She hoped not. Yang turned back to see Neptune happily playing around with the petals in the water, splashing like a five year old in a pool.

Yang jumped out of her skin when she heard Sun’s loud shout, accompanied by a yelp from Blake as he pushed her into the water. Yang scrambled to catch her, which ended up knocking her back slightly. But despite that, she still caught her... although she was still half submerged in the water. Blake practically hissed as her ears flicked away any excess water, glaring at Sun.

“You alright?” Yang asked, deciding it was the polite thing to say. Blake nodded and blushed at the way Yang had caught her, it was as if she was carrying her bridal style. “Y-Yeah, thanks for that,” she said, kicking herself down into the water, steadying herself with her hands on Yang’s shoulders. Yang smiled softly. Despite being half soaked, she still looked unfairly attractive-

Sun hopped into the water beside them, splashing them both with water, making them wince in response. Blake turned to glare at him, ears pinned back and eyes narrowed in genuine annoyance. “ _What_?! I’m just having some fun!” He said, grinning as he defended himself. Blake wiggled her finger in the air, pointing in his general direction. “Yeah well _this_ wasn’t necessary.”

The Faunus girl huffed and took off out of the water, already not wanting to partake in any of the fun. She jumped up to try and haul herself onto the pier, but seeing her struggle, Yang helped boost her up. She mumbled another thank you to her. Yang groaned lowly as her back cracked, nights spent sleeping on Sun’s uncomfortable sofa finally catching up to her.

“You know,” Blake said, starting off her sentence with a tiny smile. “You could stay at my place. You’d still have to sleep on the sofa but it’d be comfier than Suns,” she said, and the proposition was all too tempting. Yang was honestly a little taken aback by it, she blinked a few times to process. She watched as Blake panicked and began to double back by saying, “Y-You don’t have to-“

“No... no...” Yang said, waving her hands up in front of her then realising she had just said no. “I mean yeah! _Yes_! That’d be great... that is if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind, it was me who asked you.”

“Well then... _yeah_ ,” Yang said, scratching her neck nervously. She glanced over at Sun, who seemed happy enough playing with Neptune in the water. “That’d be cool.” 

* * *

Blake went with Yang over to Sun’s place to pick up her stuff, insisting she carry the bag with her over to her house. When she said house, Yang expected a house, instead her and Velvet lived in a relatively small apartment above the stores. 

It was open plan, the kitchen and living room connected in the one space. There were a few separate doors, one that led to Blake’s room, the other to Velvet’s. Then the bathroom was stuck right next to the front door, in the miniature hallway just as they came in. But one thing Yang would say is that it was as homey as she imagined it to be. The light grey carpet contrasting well with the white walls, the black kitchen countertops and black sofa following that same monotone theme. 

It was nice in its own right. Blake dumped Yang’s stuff to the side of the sofa, plopping down onto it. The blonde sat down beside her, knowing that was what was expected of her. “Your place is nice, smells great too,” Yang commented, gaining a genuine smile from Blake. “It’s quite simple but it was what we could afford,” she said, but Yang didn’t need an explanation for why it looked the way it did. Yang liked it. She liked a lot of Blake related things. 

“My ex would’ve hated the carpet. He preferred dark wooden flooring,” Blake said, cringing at the thought. Yang briefly wondered how hard it had been leaving her fiancé. Or maybe it was harder to stay with him. It was obviously the latter or else Blake wouldn’t be here. “What was he like?” Yang asked, feeling like she was able to pry now, they were in this safe bubble now. They could talk.

“Controlling,” She said, frowning, her face and tone completely impassive. “Always had something to say about everything. I said I was going to cut my hair short, he said I would look like a dyke. I said I wanted a tattoo, he said I would look like a skank.” Blake sighed and closed her eyes, gulping dryly, her ears flicking back. “But sometimes I thought ‘maybe Adam’s right.’ And I would make excuses for him.” 

Yang hummed in acknowledgment. That was the first time she had said his name. Adam... Yang didn’t like him, whoever he was. She didn’t know what it was like to be in a relationship like that. But she had heard enough story’s to know that it wasn’t a nice experience. She felt bad that Blake had to go through that. “You don’t have to answer if this is rude of me to ask, but why?” Blake shrugged and her lips upturned in an ironic smile. “I thought I was in love, until I realised he wasn’t the person I fell in love with.” 

“I... I think I understand that.” That was an understatement, Yang definitely understood that. Love makes people do shitty things, makes them stick through shitty situations, and sometimes you realise there’s no point in crawling through a field of shit anymore. That was a deep fear of her own, having her heartbroken after going to hell and back for that person. It would be like a slap in the face. 

“I guess I have a fear of getting my heartbroken like that, which is why I don’t really have a lot of people close to me.” Yang didn’t even realise she was speaking until she was finished. But it was true. She found it strange how Blake nodded in agreement with her, found it amazing how she understood her plight. “I know you said you haven’t spoke to your dad but what about your mom?” Blake asked. 

Yang sighed softly. She would normally get mad at the question. But something about Blake made her feel like there was no reason to be upset anymore. “My stepmom died when I was a kid... and I’ve never met my biological mother,” she said, in a tone almost too casual for what she was saying. Blake’s eyes fluttered closed, ears tilting back. “Shit... I’m sorry-“

“It’s fine, you didn’t know.” 

“How... how do you cope with that?” Blake said and she honestly sounded more pained by it than Yang did. The blonde shrugged, she honestly wasn’t coping, she wished her mom was still around to tell her where she was going wrong. But she wouldn’t admit that. “It’s hard, sometimes, but I got used to it,” she said, scratching at her cheek. “It’s harder now than ever, my sister looks so much like our mom...” 

Blake smiled tenderly, shaking her head. “You’re pretty amazing for that you know. Even with all your baggage you manage to be successful and kind to everyone.”

“I don’t know about that, but I try my best,” Yang said, smiling back at Blake. It was incredible how easy this felt to talk to her, everything slipping out so naturally when she believed it should never be spoken at all. “You’re pretty amazing too, I mean, you escaped your abusive fiancé and made it all the way back here from Vale.” 

They both laughed, light and melodic despite the topic of their conversation. Yang could feel those familiar butterflies in her stomach, threatening to fly out and crowd the room with their presence. Blake absentmindedly tucked a strand of her behind her ear, hand flicking her hair just enough that Yang could glimpse at her tattoo again. Actually... she kind of wanted to see it once more. Now that she knew what it represented for her.

“Can I see your tattoo again?” She asked and Blake’s eyebrows jolted up, before her features softened and she smiled once more. “Sure, go ahead,” she said. Blake shifted on the couch until her back was facing Yang, her hand swiping her hair to the side. Yang decided she would help move her hair with her metal hand, whilst the other came to rest on the back of Blake’s neck. Her finger traced the birds wings, admiring their beauty, tiny feather details filling her vision.

“It’s really pretty...” she said. There was more but she was deciding if she wanted to say that part. “And so is your hair, it really suits you.”

Blake began to turn to face her again and Yang immediately retracted her hands, bringing them back to rest upon her own knees. Blake blushed and smiled at her, fiddling with the edges of her hair. “Thanks...” she whispered, almost inaudible to Yang. But she heard, and she couldn’t help but smile again. There was something about this girl that had her smiling all the time, sharing this equally dazed look when gazing at each other. But she wouldn’t want to look anywhere else anymore.

The door clicked open, pulling them both out of their trance.

Velvet walked in, grinning and waving at them, camera swinging from her neck. Blake stuttered, mouth opening and closing but no words escaping. She threw her thumb in Yang’s direction and said, “I’m letting her stay over. Sun’s couch is breaking her back.”

Velvet nodded and let out a long ‘ _ohhhhhh_ ’, her smirk growing with each passing second. “You must _really_ like her then-“

“ _Velvet_!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn I learned how to do slow burns, it’s a skill.


	6. Scared To Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang’s finished with refurbishing Blake’s store, but she finds that she doesn’t want to leave. 
> 
> This chapters straight fluff.

Yang woke up in absolute bliss, a huge difference compared to the last few mornings. As today, she didn’t want to move at all. After being tossed a pillow and a blanket, she had completely sunk into Blake’s sofa, the fabric seeming to envelop her. She got the feeling they didn’t use it very often, as she knew Velvet was often on the move and Blake probably just crashed out in her bed.

She heard a faint sizzling and the clatter of what might’ve been a plate, her lips quirking upwards as she already knew it was Blake making food. She pushed herself up with her left arm, deciding to forego putting on her prosthetic. Blake glanced over her shoulder at Yang before smirking and turning back to whatever she was doing.

There was a pause as she contemplated what to do. There were options for her here. Talking to Blake was one of them, the other was going to the bathroom. But, of course, one was more enticing than the other. “Is that the food sizzling or are you just that hot?” She grinned, hand tucked into her shorts as she walked over. Blake chuckled, her shoulders shaking as she did so. Yang’s grin softened, happy she could get a laugh out of the other girl.

“ _Morning_ ,” she mumbled, leaning against the kitchen island. There was something about seeing Blake still wearing what she had wore to bed, hair mussed from sleep, that felt very intimate. A vulnerability that only she was allowed to see. That might’ve been wishful thinking, but she could have hopes, couldn’t she?

Then again, she wondered where all of these ideas came from. For years she only had a few set priorities and that was to make enough money to make sure her and Ruby live a comfortable life. Which she was doing, and she was doing it well. Weiss certainly helped them along, somehow always making sure Yang was setup with the next thing to make money, the next move to get further. Even her uncle gave her a head start by sponsoring her. 

So why all of a sudden, when faced with what she wanted, which was to finish fixing up Blake’s store and get out of here, did she not want to leave? A part of her knew that if she left she might not come back, it was possible she just wouldn’t have the time. _Knowing that_ , Yang didn’t want to leave. There was a connection here, something that she didn’t want to sever.

“Morning? It’s _afternoon_ actually,” Blake said, a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she twirled around the kitchen, grabbing cups and plates from cupboards. Yang blinked a few times, dragging herself out of her mind. “Shit, _really_?” She said, sheepishly scratching the back of her neck. “Sorry that I slept in.”

“Don’t be, you looked comfy,” Blake said, a tiny smile seeming to remain on her face as she spoke to Yang. “Do you know that you snore?” Yang chuckled, memories of a whining Ruby sharing a room with her coming back. “So I’ve been told, my sister said they were loud and obnoxious,” she said wistfully.

“As far as snores go, they’re actually quite cute.”

“ _Cute_?”

“Yeah, they’re not loud, they’re like when a puppy snores.”

Yang pulled a fade and chuckled, wondering how she should take that. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind as one of my top ten compliments.” Blake laughed and pushed her arm playfully, ears twitching as she turned to scoop the bacon she was cooking out of the frying pan, setting it onto a paper towel. “That smells really good by the way,” Yang commented, drawing a thankful hum from Blake and a tiny flick of her ears again.

“It’s marinated bacon.”

“I didn’t know bacon could be marinated.”

“Neither did I until me and Velvet got bored, we got super into cooking. And by that I mean we just kept marinating things and seeing how they would taste. Now it’s all we do,” she said, Yang chuckled slightly. Blake slipped all of the bacon onto a plate, pulling open the oven revealed a few golden slices of toast. Yang wanted to say how she was unbelievably impressed by her cooking skills and that it was such an odd turn on for her. But that would’ve been very weird of her.

“I had to do a ton of cooking growing up for me and Ruby- my sister,” Yang said, Blake looked strangely delighted at the sentence as she went about setting everything by that she had been using. “Are you good at it?” Blake asked, moving the plate over to the kitchen island that Yang was leaning on so she would have better access to the food. The blonde huffed out a laugh, thinking of all the times Ruby had cringed at whatever she made for them to eat.

“No, I’m an awful chef. Ruby hated my cooking so much that I ended up just buying takeout for us all the time.”

“You should really learn to, it’s a life skill.”

“I tried! It’s just not my thing,” Yang said as she dipped her fork down to dig into her food, eyes widening when she bit into it. “Why don’t you just come cook for me all the time, this tastes awesome.” That would be her great excuse, ‘come cook for me because I can’t’, but why did she need an excuse? So she didn’t need to talk about emotions? Definitely, those things weren’t her friends and never have been.

“Hmmm, I don’t think you’ll be able to match my price, I’m pretty expensive,” Blake said, swirling her fork on the plate. Yang half shrugged, saying, “I don’t care, I’d be happy to let you rob me blind... _for this food_.” Blake rolled her eyes, chuckling again as she tried to eat. Yang found that Blake’s gaze kept landing on her right arm, or at least the nub seeing as there was no longer an arm there.

“Sorry, does it freak you out?”

“No, it just looks like it hurts,” Blake said, hand absentmindedly reaching out to touch her arm, fingers ghosting over it and sending goose bumps along her skin. “It used to.” It normally did, usually it ached whenever she spent hours using her arms, exerting too much pressure onto it.

“And now?”

“It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.” 

* * *

Yang and Blake took their time putting up the shelves, feeling like they had all the time in the world to do so. Yang was honestly beginning to get really troubled when she started to realise that this was all she had left to do, once these were all up and the books were stacked back up, she didn’t need to be here. 

She took a few steps back, marvelling at how nice the room looked down. Albeit, a little empty as she hadn’t filled the shelves yet. But she found that as she began to place the books back on the shelves, she began to realise most of them had been read. Some had the pages worn, a book mark or two sticking out slightly from between the pages. 

Blake was quietly stacking books onto the shelves next to her. The blonde noticed how Blake began to stay next to her, not moving all that far from her, making sure she was still here in the way she would purposely brush her hand across Yang’s skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps in her wake. Yang couldn’t say the feeling wasn’t mutual, but she was worried she would want to stay forever.

Yang lifted another book out of the pile, the pages yellowing with age. She stretched her and out to place it onto the shelf when something fell out from between the pages. She choked on her laugh when she looked down and saw the small ziplock bag filled with a little cluster of weed. Blake laughed as well, eyebrows flitting up into her forehead as she smiled.

“I completely forgot about that,” Blake said as she reached down to grab the bag, she smiled as she held the tiny bag in the palm of her hand. Yang was bewildered, this was quite unexpected. “I didn’t take you for the stoner type,” Yang said, laughing as she scratched the back of her head. Blake chuckled, half shrugging as she shook her head. “I’m not. A little while back me and Velvet got bored and tried this stuff out. I totally forgot it was here.”

Yang hummed, smirking at her. Blake tucked it into her pocket then began to finish stacking the books onto the shelves. The blonde frowned, following her lead and putting the books back into their rightful place. Yet she did it slowly, because she knew once she was done she had to leave. Back to a harsh reality filled with interviews and sponsorship deals, lavish lifestyles and loneliness. Yet she had to ask herself why she couldn’t just... leave it all. 

Because she genuinely considered forfeiting everything for each day to be filled with... whatever _this_ was. This sunny little town called Solanacae. It was a terrible idea, she knew that. But her stomach churned at the thought of having to go back and face everything, have pictures snapped by photographers who wouldn’t stop to talk to her, have girls fawn over her, none of them worried if she had been eating right that morning. They all wanted the same thing; everything _but_ Yang, only wanted what she had now.

However she did miss her sister, her uncle, Coco, even Weiss (she _never_ thought she’d say that). She felt shitty for leaving them all for what must have been almost a week now. There was still a few days until she had to be in Vacuo, but that wasn’t her point.

A sigh slipped out as she took a few steps back, admiring the rooms colour scheme. Warmth exuded from the wood, inviting her to make herself comfortable. Yang couldn’t stop frowning, for as happy as Blake seemed right now because of her store, she felt terrible. It wasn’t even as if she could spend time putting in the window, Sun and Neptune had did that during the night. It was a miracle they hadn’t smashed it.

“Have you ever tried this?” Blake asked, casually waving the bag of weed in front of Yang’s face. She shook her head slightly and said, “No, I’ve never tried it before.” Blake hummed, accepting that answer and placing the bag back into her pocket. “The guy who sold it to me called me an animal, can’t say I’ll be giving him a _good review,_ ” she said, smirking as she joked. Yang’s brain paused, stuck on wondering how someone could call her that.

A reply should’ve been slipping from Yang’s lips, but nothing came. Her eyes darted around, frown pinned there on her face.

“Thanks for sticking around to help finish, most people would’ve just thrown money at the problem...” Blake smirked, her gaze softening as she jabbed an elbow into Yang’s side. “You’re pretty great.”

Something about that sentence made Yang snap. Because she realised that everything she had hoped and wished for earlier today, was all that it was. She needed to leave. Because despite Blake saying she was ‘great’, Yang knew she wasn’t a good person. She put her and her sister in danger multiple times for wads of cash, has spent countless nights with Coco chatting up women she had no intention of seeing again, a string of numbers being left in her scroll that she didn’t recognise thereafter. She lets her emotions get the better of her, flying off the handle-

“Don’t say that,” Yang muttered, eyes closing as she let out a shuddering breath. Because she realised Blake had experienced violence and selfishness from her fiancé , she didn’t need that again from Yang. Staying would be pointless. “I’m not a good person.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because... because I can be selfish, and stupid, and _violent_. Sometimes I get pissed if for no reason and want to tear up entire rooms- _I do_ , and I say things I don’t mean out of anger...” she licked her lips, wondering why she was saying all this. She wanted to add, ‘And you don’t deserve any of that.’ But that didn’t seem right in the moment. “I’m not the nicest person, and I’m more of an animal than you’ll _ever_ be,” she said.

“That’s _such_ bullshit,” Blake snapped, tone harsh and ears pinned back in annoyance. Yang sighed and shrugged. “I’m just being honest with you-“

“No, you’re just feeling sorry for yourself.” Yang’s eyes widened, of all the responses that wasn’t what she was expecting. But like she had been told before, Blake was full of surprises. She could appreciate that. “You are _so kind_ , that it baffles me how much you do for other people without batting an eyelid.”

“You barely know me.”

“Just this week you’ve fixed Ilia’s steering wheel, watered my mom’s flowers for her, taught Sun how to ride a motorcycle, got Neptune over his fear of water, offered to reconnect Velvet with an old friend-“ Blake listed everything off on her fingers before taking a step backwards and out stretching her arms “-you refurbished _my entire store_.” Her nose twitched, ears still pinned back against her head. She was out of breath from her rant, yet she had her eyes narrowed and honed in on Yang, still wanting to continue.

“Yet you want to call yourself selfish and unkind?” She asked exasperatedly. Yang dipped her head down, a little too ashamed to look at her. “You didn’t have to do any of those things, Yang. But you did, the same way as you must do things like that for your sister... and I think that counts for something.”

The butterflies returned to Yang’s stomach when she lifted her head up again, eyes meeting Blake’s, her golden gaze melting into her soul, threatening to meld with it. Yang shrugged again, gaining an incredulous look from Blake. “That doesn’t excuse anything else,” Yang said, her voice quiet, meek in comparison to how Blake had been speaking. The Faunus girl nodded, huffing out a laugh through her nose. “Maybe it doesn’t, but I don’t think you should be lingering on the past.” Yang’s eyes widened, she could see Blake was going to continue and she was interested.

“After I moved here, I spent _a long time_ feeling sorry for myself. Looking back and wishing I had seen things differently. Wishing I wouldn’t have done the shitty things I did. Until I realised there was no point in doing that.” Blake gulped and ran a hand through her hair, her bangs flowing back into place. Yang wanted to listen to what she had to say, she was on the edge of her seat. “But all you can do is _move on_ , _try_ and do better. From what I’ve seen, you are so selfless and kind that you let that control you. So next time you’re thinking of doing something, forget your sister and your dad, and do it for yourself.”

Her breath was caught, all words trapped. Because part of her knew that may be true, but had never had someone tell her that to her face. It was refreshing and it was what she needed. For years she had stuck to the same habits, refusing to get help, refusing to talk to anyone about her feelings. Yet she didn’t need to tell Blake, she just knew. And she had never had someone understand her so well that she forgot how to even string a sentence together.

Yang sighed, her mouth tugging into a grateful smile. “Your fiancé didn’t deserve you, you’re clearly far too good for him... or _anybody_. And it takes a lot of heart for you to say all of that to me like you mean it,” she said, arms shifting behind her back, flesh clinging to metal like a lifeline to retain the moment. Blake’s lips upturned into a miniature smile, and despite all of her confidence in the previous moment she looked down at her feet shyly. “I do mean them, because they’re true. And I’m sorry for lecturing you but it annoyed me that you didn’t believe that.”

“Actually, I think I needed to hear that. It might’ve been the kick in the ass I needed.” They both chuckled lightly and Yang wondered how she was going to stand leaving for Vacuo, not when she could barely pry her eyes from Blake’s smile as it was. “And if you believe all of those things about me, you’re all that and then some- _seriously,_ you brought me breakfast everyday, let me stay at your house, you even did my laundry.”

“How did you know that?”

“I could smell the soap powder off of the clothes in my bag.” She could also tell she hadn’t done it herself as there was a soft vanilla scent from her clothes, that also sometimes wafted from Blake. All Yang had to do was put two and two together. Blake sighed, settling on a gentle smile as she looked at her, cheeks unashamedly painted over with a blush.

“The question is, are you leaving? Or are you staying one last night?” Blake asked, and Yang could see a hopeful glint in her eye. She thought about everything, how Ruby must be feeling, now she really should be in Vacuo practicing. But then she remembered that Ruby wasn’t a kid, she was twenty-two, a legal adult. And she didn’t need practice, as arrogant as that sounded.

Yang grinned broadly. “One more night.”

* * *

They decided that no one needed to know Yang was finished with the store, or that she remained here for one last night with Blake. They were making the most of this, deciding it would be fun to make dinner together. It had, surprisingly, been an unmitigated success. Yang thought she would be a hazard to cook with but apparently not. 

Blake had slipped into her obsession with marinating food, something Yang had learned she liked to do. They had marinated some sea bass in honey and lemon, which smelled delicious. They had caught the smell of it before they put it on the grill. What probably made it better was the fact they had stepped out onto the tiny balcony off of Blake’s living room, sharing a joint they had made out of the weed they found. Blake had, naturally, made fun of Yang for coughing once she tried it. 

“Will Velvet be pissed if the house smells of this stuff?” Yang asked, twisting the cigarette between her fingers. Blake shrugged nonchalantly, not seeming to care. “Velv is pretty laid back, so I’m sure she’ll just crack open a window and go about her day,” she said, a tiny laugh escaping her lips. Yang laughed as well, she didn’t know what Velvet being uncaring was so funny. 

She passed it back over to Blake, who had the honour of finishing off the joint with one final drag. She flicked it over the side of the balcony as she breathed out a cloud of smoke. “Do you think the food will be ready? I’m starving?” Yang asked, her stomach growling and demanding attention. “I hope so, or else I call bullshit on the passage of time!” Blake grinned, skipping back inside and towards the kitchen. Either that was really strong weed or this was just Blake after half of a joint. 

Yang followed behind her, lunging forward to catch her waist when Blake skidded on the tiles in the kitchen area. She flashed Yang a sulky pout from being caught, before reaching to open the grill. It instantly smelled amazing and had both of their stomachs howling. “Can you get the plates?” Blake asked and Yang hummed, immediately complying as she reached for two plates on the rack, grabbing cutlery as an added bonus. 

Blake lifted up the metal tray onto the countertop, tossing the dish towel to the side and reaching for one of the forks Yang had collected for her. She skewered the fillets of sea bass with the fork, carefully placing them in each plate, along with the tiny potatoes they had cooked along with it. “Want me to take these over to the couch?” Yang asked, already gathering the cutlery and plates in her hands. “Yeah, I’ll get us juice,” Blake said, sliding to the fridge. 

It was strange, how natural it felt to sit down and eat dinner with Blake. Maybe she was just high, but Yang felt like this was really meant to happen. Like there was some sort of divine intervention that sent her in the wrong direction, crashing directly into Blake’s store. The Faunus girl slid onto the sofa next to her, legs curling up onto the couch as she took her plate from the table. 

The blonde groaned lowly, had no clue why she made that sound just from the taste of food, but it tasted really fucking good. “Blake, how’re you _such a good chef?_ ” She asked and Blake shrugged, chuckling through a mouthful of food. “It’s not hard, plus you helped me with it.” 

“You did most of the work though, this is your win.” 

“Sure, whatever,” Blake said, smiling as she rolled her eyes. She reached over for the tv remote, both of them ignoring her buzzing scroll as they flicked through the channels. They settled on a docuseries about that gangster, Roman Torchwick. What ensued was almost two hours of the two of them arguing over whether or not his partner in crime, Neo, could speak using sign language. 

They had moved closer to each other in that time. Yang’s arm had been settling across the back of the sofa, leaving a space to Blake to move into. Which she did, curling up against her side as if it was normal, like they had done it before. Her arm had slipped onto Blake’s shoulder at some point, Blake’s head relaxing against Yang’s own shoulder. There was a tension that had been eased, giving way to the playful touching and cuddling. It made Yang not want to leave even more. 

Blake shivered and pulled down the blanket Yang had been sleeping under, covering both of them with it. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the screen. “Look, that means who are you in sign language and she’s talking to the reporters, she _does_ use sign language!” Blake exclaimed, extremely excited in the idea that she had been right about how this girl communicates. 

Yang wrinkled her nose, pointing at the tv herself. “No, she was screwing around with that hairpin in her mouth and pointing to Roman,” Yang said, happy that it was a sound enough argument against what Blake was saying. The Faunus girl pouted and settled herself against her again, happy to lie there. Or at least she was until she moved away a few moments later, Yang’s hand instinctively removing itself from her should in case it was her fault. 

“Lie up on the couch with me,” Blake said, gesturing for Yang to sit up. She chuckled and did as was asked of her, legs swinging up into the sofa. The blonde decided to take her prosthetic off whilst she remembered too, setting it down on the table. She lay down on the sofa, the nub of her arm sticking out. Blake lay down next to her, her head resting in the bicep of her right arm. “Is this alright?” She asked and Yang hummed in agreement. This was more than alright for her. 

She found herself absolutely content and wishing every night could be like this, because this is what she wanted more than anything. Yang found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, glad to be in Blake’s company as she did so. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw another fic writer had an editor like... wot. Is that a thing I’m supposed to have? This shit gets wrote on the notes on my phone. 
> 
> Also their dinner scene is based on me and my girlfriend getting high and making fish fingers, thought we were master chefs that day. 
> 
> Also excuse any typos I uploaded this at 3am.


	7. Kind Of Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time finally comes for Yang to leave for Vacuo, but she ends up just delaying the inevitable.

There was a silent panic that sunk in when Yang woke up, her body jolting slightly. She vaguely remembered falling asleep, but was surprised that Blake was still here with her on the sofa, sound asleep. At some point during the night she must’ve slipped her arm around Blake, something she tended to do with pillows and blankets, but another person was a change. What was more surprising was Blake’s hand was resting over hers, as if it was keeping her there.

Yang thought it was weird that she was lying here, face tucked into the back of Blake’s head, due to the lack of space between Blake and the back of the sofa. She saw one of their scrolls vibrating again - she didn’t know which one it was but assumed it was Blake’s - and the time read seven-thirty. She sighed softly, eyes falling shut as she shifted her head back to its previous position; being smothered by Blake’s hair. Was it still weird? _Probably_. But she was so warm and comfortable, then knowing it was the morning time and she could sleep in was even better.

Normally when she was awake at this time, in her own apartment in Vale, the room was either entirely lit up with lights or shrouded in darkness. Blind in both situations. No compromise to balance the lighting, it was all or nothing. Often times it made her want to get up out of bed and get away from it. But this morning was different, because she actually wanted to remain here lying on the sofa. There was a soft strip of light coming in through the window on the balcony door, leaving a golden trail in its wake. It was so peaceful... she closed her eyes again to bask in the atmosphere.

Blake stirred beside her, the hand that wasn’t clutching onto Yang’s coming up to wipe her face. Her ears flicked back and bumped against Yang’s face. Yang wasn’t too bothered by her moving around, she was far too comfy to be. Blake’s hand gently squeezed her own and trailed along her wrist, up her arm, half turning to face Yang as she did so. Upon feeling Blake’s eyes on her, she cracked her eyes open once more. She was met with a surprised look on Blake’s face, which made her flash a lazy smile at her.

“Good morning?” Yang said quietly, still trying to gauge Blake’s reaction. Blake smiled, biting her bottom lip as she lifted the blanket off of her and slid off of the sofa. Her feet padded across the carpet, stepping into the bathroom without a word. Yang heard the tap running as she rolled onto her back, sighing and smiling happily. She was so content to just lie here all morning, all day, all week. Although she had to admit, she was much comfier cuddling Blake. _Gods_ , when was the last time she cuddled something that wasn’t a pillow?

“Why do you look so pleased with yourself?” Blake asked, chuckling as she strode into the tiled area she called a kitchen. The blonde grinned over at her, watching as she already got to work on pulling bread and cups from the cupboards. She liked how Blake could just get right into the swing of things, going about her day like she hadn’t just woke up. “Because I slept well,” Yang said.

She sat up, pushing the hair out of her face before reaching for her arm. It clicked into place and she immediately stood to follow Blake over to the kitchen area, absently flexing her hand to make sure the prosthetic was working correctly. Yang leaned her hip against the kitchen counter, covering her mouth as she yawned. “Do you just wake up and make breakfast or something? Is that your thing?” Yang asked, a playful lilt to her voice.

“Yes, I think that’s most of the populations ‘ _thing_ ’,” Blake said, slipping the toast into the oven. “You’re one of the exceptions because you don’t make your own breakfast.”

“Why would I make it myself when I can have a pretty girl do it for me instead?” Blake giggled and rolled her eyes, reaching under the counter for a contraption Yang hadn’t ever seen before. “What is that?”

“It’s a kettle.”

“What’s it for?”

“Boiling water- do you _seriously_ not know what a kettle is for?” Blake laughed as she plugged it into the wall, pouring water in through the spout. Yang shook her head, she couldn’t say she had seen or heard of this before, which probably meant she wasn’t as smart as she once thought she was. It was possible she was just uncultured or had spent so long on two drastically different ends of the poverty spectrum to ever come across a kettle.

Blake clicked the kettle on, a grumbling noise coming from it as it boiled. “You’re twenty-four and don’t know what a kettle is? I take it all back, your just one of those stereotypical blondes,” she said, tapping her finger on her cup as she swivelled her head around, looking for something. Yang laughed in response, not entirely knowing what to say. “Do you want some tea?” She asked and Yang nodded dumbly, suddenly transfixed by the way Blake moved so effortlessly around her kitchen. Pulling the toast out of the oven and flopping it onto the counter.

Yang snapped out of it when Blake moved towards her, squeezing up next to her in an attempt to reach for the cupboard up behind Yang. She noticed how Blake was an inch or two shorter without her boots, which made her smile. Blake giggled and lightly slapped her arm, saying, “Don’t be a jerk, either move or hand me it down.” Yang hummed, leaning further over the counter, completely blocking Blake from getting to the cupboard.

“So I have options here?”

“It’s too early for your... _you_ ,” Blake said, letting out a tiny giggle as she gestured towards Yang’s entire body. She moved to try and reach for the cupboard again, but Yang just moved in the way again. “You wouldn’t like to see me early in the morning? I’m hurt.” Blake pouted and stepped around Yang, attempting to reach up for the cupboard again. The blonde had forgotten she could do that, but stepped in front of her again, accidentally bumping her back into the kitchen island. Blake obviously thought she was falling, as she grabbed Yang’s t-shirt in an attempt to save herself.

They both giggled giddily, finding Blake’s brief panic somewhat amusing. Their laughs quickly subsided, settling into soft smiles. Yang was aware of how close they were to each other, their foreheads were touching and she could feel Blake’s breath ghost over her skin. She gulped and attempted to lean forward, because she wondered what the point was of dancing around this? She wanted to know if she could go without feeling she had left something behind. So she left her head hanging there halfway, letting Blake decide what happened next.

The Faunus girl giggled again, licking her lips as she looked between Yang’s eyes and lips. There was an option for her to pull away, Yang made sure of that, and she was fine with whatever Blake wanted. Although she couldn’t say that she didn’t prefer one option over the other. Blake closed her eyes halfway, leaning forward. Yang gulped and relished the soft feeling of Blake’s lips brushing over hers. She knew it was greedy to want more, but she couldn’t help herself. Her hands gripped Blake’s hips, pulling her closer-

“You’re both so _fucking_ loud- _oh, sorry!_ ” Velvet squealed, jumping back into her room. Blake had, which seemed almost instinctively, pushed Yang away and that left her to bump into the kitchen counter. “ _Velvet_ ,” Blake says, trying to act casual as she fixed her hair. “I didn’t think you were up this early.”

“ _Clearly_ not-“

“ _Velvet_!”

“ _What_? It’s not my fault you two were making out in the kitchen. Seriously what she are you two? And you have your own bedroom!” 

As much as Yang wanted to say something witty back to Velvet, she was still a little dumbfounded. Her hands lingered on Blake’s waist, fascinated by how well she fits between her hands. Maybe it was just because Blake was smaller, but it seemed like she just slot into place. Yang felt that there hadn’t been anything in her life that compared to how satisfying that singular moment was. It was odd, and weird, and _stupid_ , but that’s how she felt. And she tended to have the urge to follow those feelings.

“Blake, I think you broke her,” Velvet said, giggling slightly as she pointed at Yang. Blake looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. Yang blinked herself out of the trance she was in, hands snapping away from Blake. She gulped and shuffled away, mumbling an apology to Blake. Velvet raised an eyebrow and sat down on the sofa to put on her shoes. “I’m gonna be in the store putting some things on the walls,” she said.

“Because you like seeing your own photography on the walls?” Blake grinned, leaning over the kitchen island. Yang was quietly eating the breakfast Blake had made her, and was amazed by her own ability to go from fairly smooth to a blushing mess in less than a few seconds. “No, because it’s terribly awkward to come home and see the two of you cuddling on the couch then wake up to _this_.”

Blake didn’t bother responding to her this time but instead gave her a blank expression, her ears pointed atop her head. Yang had no clue what that meant but assumed it was a look to be feared. Velvet didn’t seem scared at all though, she just smiled and took off out the door, going about her day as normal. Blake turned to look at Yang again, a hint of concern on her face.

“Are you alright?” She asked, and Yang wanted to say no. She wasn’t alright; she was leaving. And the realisation that she was fully sunk in. “I’m gonna miss this place...” she said and Blake looked vaguely surprised.

“You can always come back, it’s not as if this place is going anywhere.”

“The thing is, I’m not sure if I’ll have the time to. And leaving makes that real.”

“Yeah... _yeah,_ I guess so,” Blake said with a downcast smile, spinning around to pour water into the mugs she had set out, scooping out the tea bags and dropping them in the bin. “You should probably get ready to go soon.”

Yang wanted to say no, wanted to just stay. But she knew she was too far gone to do that. 

* * *

So _maybe_ she didn’t leave straight away after saying she would. 

The thing was, that she just got so sidetracked sometimes. _Totally her fault_. She could get distracted by anything. Like right now, for example, she had just so happened to see some strawberry seeds in the store and thought ‘maybe Mrs Belladonna would like these.’ So she bought them and strolled right down to Kali’s house. Kali was already relaxing in her garden, so it only took some coaxing her into planting the seeds in her garden. It had been a delightful affair, making Yang wish for simpler times when she could garden with her own family.

Yang tried to leave again after that, but saw Ilia trying to change the tyres on her car. She thought, why not stay and help her out? She had the time. So, Yang plodded over and began to help replace the tyres on Ilia’s car, which didn’t take long at all. Plus Ilia wasn’t half bad at this- she wasn’t _great_ either, but at least she was helpful. 

Then Yang, _once again_ , tried to leave. She made it all the way to Sun’s house to collect her motorcycle and discovered that he and Neptune had went to the lake. Sighing, Yang dumped her backpack on Sun’s doorstep and took off towards the lake. She instantly identified Sun’s shouts and Neptune’s whines. What had been surprising was that Sun was trying to teach Neptune how to swim... Yang glanced at her scroll and decided she could probably teach him. She had time to spare.

Grabbing a nearby piece of wood and checking to see if it would float in the water, Yang told Neptune to hold onto that. She got into the water alongside him, helping him to try and float. Sun was beginning to be more of a hinderance to Neptune’s learning, so Yang tossed him the keys to her bike. The blonde boy then sprinted away, the sound of an engine growling being heard in the distance. Neptune laughed happily when he started to get the hang of it after a while. Yang was grateful that Sun was distracted by his own antics, because now Neptune could laugh freely as he floated across the water.

It would still take a lot of practice but... he’d get the hang of it.

Returning from the lake, soaked, Yang got changed inside Sun’s house. He returned her bike keys to her, leaving them sitting on her backpack. She changed into her jeans and flannel shirt, her boots tied tightly so they wouldn’t loosen whilst riding her bike. Yang finally walked over to her motorcycle, after all her hours spent helping everyone out. She took one final look at the bookstore...

Yang couldn’t leave.

Hopping off of her bike again, she walked over to the store, the door clicking open as she pushed on it. Velvet was in the middle of hanging some posters on the wall, advertisements for her own photography work, when she raised a questioning brow at Yang. “Don’t you have to get to Vacuo?” Velvet asked as she took a step back from her poster, dusting her hands off as she looked over her ad. Yang hummed, sticking her hands in her pockets as she walked forward.

“Yeah... Where’s Blake?” An amused giggle left Velvet’s mouth as she turned to face Yang, arms folded across her chest. “Sulking because she thinks you’re gone,” Velvet said, studying Yang’s reaction. She must be able to tell that Yang looked strangely happy about that, like it confirmed that she was right not to leave yet. Velvet sighed and tucked a roll of something under her arm, before saying, “I hope you’ll come back after you leave... and say hi to Coco for me.”

Yang grinned smugly. “I could just tell her to call you? Or I could even bring her back here,” she said and Velvet laughed slightly. “There’s no way Coco would come here. I know her kind.” Velvet began stacking things up behind the counter, a few tiny shelves underneath the desk that Yang knew Blake just threw anything on. She had asked why there were a stack of old newspapers and that had turned out to be because Blake had just forgotten to throw them out. She then proceeded to not throw them in the trash.

“I know Coco might have used to seem like a big shot, but I can guarantee, she’s not. She just has trouble with feelings,” Yang said, chuckling slightly. Velvet rolled her eyes, still keeping her judgment. “I’ll believe that when I see it,” she said, circling the book shelves as she put up some small decorations. “Don’t you have the same problem?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re about to leave without telling Blake you like her- in all seriousness it is _very_ childish.”

“Yeah well...” Yang hesitated for a moment, but then realised it didn’t matter what she said next. Velvet had apparently saw through the smokescreen. “That’s why I was looking for her,” she said quietly, but it wasn’t quiet enough for Velvet not to hear. The brunette hummed, a slight timid smile on her face. “Well apparently your timing is perfect, I’ll be in the darkroom,” she said, pointing to a door next to the counter and disappearing through it.

“Wha-“

The door gently clicked open again, Blake stepping inside as she ruffled her hair. “Velv are you-“ Blake stopped herself mid sentence as she stared at Yang, the shock was palpable on her face in the way her eyes widened and mouth hung open slightly. “You’re still here...” Blake slowly closed the door behind her as she spoke, taking small unsure steps towards Yang.

“I’m still here...” Yang replied, sounding very sure of herself. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, a lot of things that wouldn’t be entirely appropriate to say, and some things that were better left unsaid until a later time. “Why? You should be halfway to Vacuo by now.” Blake’s eyes narrow, an uncertainty of what was going on flashing in those amber eyes. But there was a tiny hint of a smirk growing, showing that she might already know why she’s still here.

“Well you see, it started off with me planting some strawberry bushes with your mom.”

“Yes, because that’s a normal thing it do.”

“Then I ended up helping Ilia with her car, let Sun drive my bike around again- I even got roped into teaching Neptune how to swim.” Yang grinned, Blake’s scroll was ringing again but she ignored it. Blake giggled and took another few steps closer to her, placing a hand on Yang’s shirt to fiddle with the fabric, probably recognising that this wasn’t what she had left wearing this morning.

“And you just so happened to get wrapped up in all of this instead of leaving?”

“That I did.”

“Then why are you still here?” Yang hummed, pretending to contemplate the answer for the question. “Well, it’s strange actually.”

“ _Really_?”

“Really. Because earlier this week, I was dying to get this over and done with so I could get out of here. But then there was this girl.” Blake giggled at the little act Yang was putting on, smiling as she patted her collar. “What’s she like?” Blake asked and Yang grinned that she was willing to go along with this.

“Oh, she’s _great_ ,-“ Blake smiled at the compliment “-she’s really smart and kind. She’s a great chef. Then there’s this sense of relief when I’m with her, like- like she just _understands_... and I really like her. Which is something I haven’t said about anybody in _a long_ time.”

Blake blushed and giggled again, ducking her head in embarrassment. Her ears were caught between deciding whether or not they wanted to pin against her head or point skywards. “So I couldn’t leave because I wanted to tell her that. And I’m glad I did.” The Faunus girl bit down on her bottom lip, nodding slightly as she continued to fiddle with Yang’s shirt. The blonde’s hands came to rest on Blake’s waist, relieved that she had finally found something to do with them. “I’m glad you did too...” she whispered. 

Yet again, there was the buzzing of Blake’s scroll, but Yang ignored it as she attempted to dip her head down. “Has your scroll been buzzing all day?” Blake asked and Yang felt like groaning aloud from the interjection. She didn’t, but she felt like it. Wait, her scroll? “Isn’t that yours?” Yang asked, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out this mystery. “No, it’s yours. It was ringing this morning as well,” Blake said, face twisted in concern. Curious, Yang reluctantly pulled back and grabbed her scroll, her other hand still firmly only Blake’s waist. 

Sure enough, there were a multitude of missed calls from Weiss, Ruby, Coco and Qrow. Which was odd, because she couldn’t get a signal out here. Blake tried to look at the phone, asking, “What is it?” Yang clicked on the icon of Ruby’s face, holding the scroll up to her ear. “My sister called-“

“ _ **YANG!**_ ” 

“Ruby? What’s wrong?” Blake raised an eyebrow at her for that, wondering why Yang was the one asking what was the matter when, for all Ruby knew, she could be dead and buried. 

“ _ **Where are you?!**_ ” Ruby squawked through the speaker, causing Yang to pull it away from her ear. Even Blake winced at the sound. “I’m in a bookstore in Solanacae-“ Yang was cut off by the sound of the call hanging up. She gave the scroll an incredulous look, as if it had just smacked her across the face. She looked to Blake, who was giggling at the scenario. “The little shit hung up on me,” she said, giggling along with Blake. 

There was suddenly a screeching of tyres outside, several doors opening and shutting, shouting, and _many_ footsteps. Blake and Yang looked at each other in confusion, but before they had the time to look out the window, the door flew open. Weiss, Ruby and Coco bundled inside, Coco slamming the door shut behind them. She then ran over to the window, pulling blinds closed. 

“What. _The fuck_ -“ Yang pointed angrily to the door “-Is going on out there.” 

“Well, we got worried so we tracked your debit card. Then when we were on our way here a bunch of reporters followed us,” Weiss explained, casually inspecting the shelves, which immediately annoyed Blake, judging by the way her brow raised. Yang took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself before she started yelling. She opened her eyes and noticed Ruby looking between her and Blake, excitedly bouncing on her toes. 

Yang sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Blake, this is Ruby my sister-“

“Hi!” Ruby bounced over in a flash, smiling happily as she shook Blake’s hand. Blake nervously laughed, not entirely knowing what to do with herself in this situation. “Uh, hi, it’s nice to meet you,” Blake said awkwardly. Yang decided to spare Blake and pulled Ruby back by the hood of her sweatshirt. “S-Sorry, Yang doesn’t have a lot of friends-“

“ _Ruby_!”

“ _What_?! You don’t!”

Blake snorted and hid her smile behind her hand, trying to disguise it as a cough. Yang rolled her eyes and gestured towards Weiss and Coco separately, introducing them to Blake. “Weiss is my agent and I was supposed to meet Coco in Vacuo, I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?”

“Yup, it’s nice to meet you... Blake?” Coco said, clearly unsure if she had remembered correctly. Blake nodded. “Yeah it’s nice to meet you all, I’m Blake,” she said, clearing her throat and stepping towards Yang. She was clearly seeking comfort from her presence, which made Yang instinctively wrap an arm around her waist. Not missing a beat, Weiss raised an eyebrow at the act. “I’ve heard of this, it’s Stockholm syndrome-“

“Weiss, _shut up_ -“

“No, _Yang_ , I’m not listening to some wishy-washy bullshit about how you came here and fell in love.”

“ _No_ \- I crashed my bike into Blake’s store so I fixed it up for her!” Yang yelled, growling at Weiss who was growling back. To be fair Yang probably deserved to be glared at for disappearing for a week, but then again Weiss also deserved the glare for being rude. Blake puffed out a breath, exasperated by their antics. “It’s true, she helped refurbish the store and I’ve been letting her stay at my apartment whilst she was doing it,” Blake explained, backing Yang up on this one. 

Coco sighed and pushed her sunglasses up into her hair, thumbs hooking into the belt loops of her jeans. “And here I was hoping for a whirlwind romance,” she said, smirking teasingly at Yang. That made Blake giggle due to the lighthearted nature of it. The door cracked open and out came Velvet, ears flopped back and frowning. “What’s going on?” She asked, her eyes widening as she looked between everyone.

“ _Holy shit_ , Velvet...” Coco muttered, sputtering out a laugh. She smiled shakily and gestured towards Velvet, who was grinning back at her. “Uh, _sorry_ , we went to Pharos Academy together-“

“Yeah, I remember you, Coco, right?” She said and Yang laughed at the way she tried to play it cool. She figured Velvet must be pleasantly surprised that Coco remembered her. Blake slapped her arm but joined in on the giggles, it was rather amusing. Coco laughed again, taking a few steps forward and hugging Velvet. Yang leaned into Blake, whispering, “I told you I could set them up.” Blake pulled a face and turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised. “You didn’t do anything,” she whispered back. 

Weiss cleared her throat to get Yang’s attention, she looked over at her. “We really need to go, Qrow is waiting outside in his van-“

“No wonder the press followed you guys, Qrow’s van is bright red with the Qrow Bar logo on the side of it.” 

“That’s not my point. It’s just that as _nice_ as it’s been to meet Blake, we need to leave,” Weiss said, unapologetically stern about this. Yang sighed and looked to Ruby, looking for some way that she could stay. Her sister flared her nostrils, nervously scratching at her neck. “We should really get going before Cinder starts slandering you in the press. We’ll have to think of a reason why you went missing though,” Ruby said, a hand shooting to her chin as she tried to think this through. 

Yang sighed again, realising that she actually had to leave now. She turned back to Blake with a frown. She still didn’t want to leave, she was just starting to get somewhere with Blake, because she did actually really like her. And by that she meant she wanted to take Blake out on a date or two... hundred. “I want to stay...” Yang whispered, only audible enough for Blake to hear. “I know...” Blake whispered back, self consciously taking hold of her elbow. 

“Wait, I have an idea,” Coco said, spinning away from her conversation with Velvet to face the rest of the room. “But it involves you.” She pointed to Blake, who’s ears perked up at the realisation she was involved in whatever scheme had just been concocted. Weiss arched a perfectly groomed brow, sceptical of whatever Coco had planned. 

“Hear me out, to avoid Yang looking like a huge coward, we say she ditched for a week so she could be with Blake- _obviously_ we won’t tell them who Blake is but we can say something vaguely along those lines.” 

Yang had to admit, it was a solid plan, and one that meant that she could use this as an excuse to bring Blake with her. Weiss sighed, scratching her nose, a tiny sign that she was stressed out. “I’m gonna leave this for you to decide Blake, I might not know you but I’m not forcing you into anything,” Weiss said, forcing a tight lipped smile at Blake. Yang was glad she wasn’t a _complete_ monster. The blonde turned to Blake, searching for an answer on her face. Instead Blake looked at her, expression asking more questions than answers.

“It would mean that you would have to come to Vacuo in case the press find out that it’s you and try to harass you.” That wasn’t entirely true, part of it was a selfish hope that Blake would come with her. But that selfish hope payed off when a tiny smile appeared on Blake’s face. “Knowing Sun he would probably tell them,” Velvet said from over next to Coco. Blake sighed and nodded in agreement with her, Yang knew she wasn’t wrong either.

“Well, Velvet, what if you came to Vacuo as well,” Coco said, her hand gently brushing over Velvet’s arm as she spoke to her. The rabbit Faunus nodded, seeming to be in sync with Coco now as they both sported the same smirk. “Yeah, it would mean Blake wouldn’t be alone _and_ I could bring my camera,” Velvet said, agreeing with Coco’s plan.

“Wait, _just hold on a second_ ,” Ruby says as she holds her hands out, trying to stop the conversation. She gestured over to Yang and Blake, saying, “This is up to you both- _mostly_ _Blake_ \- but still _both_ of you.”

Yang bit her bottom lip, this was the moment of truth. She put her hand on her heart as she looked at Blake, making sure her features were soft and sincere as she gazed at her. “I’m down if you are, I’ll pay for anything you need, but it’s your choice-“

“I’ll come... it sounds fun and it’s not as if I have anything else to do anyway.” Blake smiled, biting the corner of her lip so she wouldn’t smile to widely, although the way her ears pointed upwards were a sign of her excitement. Yang nodded, smiling back at her. “Okay then...” she muttered. She saw Velvet and Coco give each other an excited smile out of the corner of her eye but payed no mind to that.

“Right, we can’t waste anymore time. Is there a back door we can use to get out of here?” Weiss asked, directed towards Blake. She nodded and grabbed her scroll, leading Weiss into the darkroom where there must have been a back door. Velvet followed after her. Yang sighed shakily... this was really happening.

Coco and Ruby looked between each other, then to Yang. Coco gestured towards the door and whispered, “So _is she_ your girlfriend?”

“ _No_.”

“But you like her-“

“Coco, this isn’t the time!” Ruby said, now ushering Yang and Coco out of the door. “ _Vacuo here we come!_ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter do be a lil longer, sorry. 
> 
> Also my life update this chapter is that me and my girlfriend tried to paint her bedroom pastel blue. Stained my jacket and ordered crocs to replace them. They’re not the same.


	8. Overwhelming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We switch to Blake’s POV and get to see her paranoia get the best of her.

The drive to Vacuo had been brutal. Not only did they all have to squeeze into Qrow’s van but they had to leave behind Yang’s bike in fear of the press running her off the road. Blake had been fairly quiet on the way there, her eyes stuck to the ground and ears flicking at every little sound due to their sensitivity.

Yang had asked if she was alright, to which Blake replied that she sometimes got travel sickness. It was mostly uneventful. Coco and Velvet had arranged for them to go take some pictures of... whatever Coco had said, Yang didn’t quite catch that part. She wasn’t sure if she _wanted to_ either with the way she was smirking. Weiss was lecturing them on how they were going to get into the hotel without Yang being spotted, at which Coco snapped her fingers and placed her sunglasses on Yang. Blake tried to stifle a laugh.

Getting inside the hotel wasn’t as hard as Weiss was making it out to be, all they had to do was go through the service entrance. Yang laughed at how Blake was visibly relieved that she was out of the van and into the building. The blonde was surprised at how nice the hotel was- how nice this part of Vacuo was in general. Blake seemed to be captivated by it the whole way up to the hotel room, staring out of the windows at the city.

Weiss followed Blake and Yang into the hotel room, shutting the door behind her. Yang prepared herself for a lecture. And just as anticipated, Weiss held a finger up in the air as she opened her mouth to start speaking. “You have spare clothes in the wardrobe and toiletries in the bathroom. Don’t go nuts on room service because I’m paying for it and there’s plenty of alcohol in the fridge.”

Not the lecture Yang was expecting, but she’d take it. She nodded and folded her arms over her chest as she said, “Is there anything else?” Weiss shook her head then sighed softly, her head lifting up to look at Blake afterwards. “I’m sorry you’ve got caught up in all of this,” she said and Blake looked slightly taken aback. She shook her head, shrugging slightly. “It could be worse, at least I kind of know Yang.” That was true, they did somewhat know each other now.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that’s delighted to know Yang.”

“Thanks for that Weiss.”

“I’m just telling the truth.”

She left with a giggle and a playful wink directed towards Yang, who chuckled at her. Weiss might have had an ice cold exterior but she wasn’t that bad. The blonde locked the door, sauntering back into the room to meet Blake, who was staring out of the floor to ceiling window. Yang stood next to her, looking out over the city. She felt like she should be looking out over twinkling city lights and cars passing by, but instead the streets were bustling with those who couldn’t bare the heat of the daytime.

“Aren’t you tired?” Blake asked as she swayed to the side to look at Yang. She hummed in response, exhaustion finally setting in. It wasn’t like she had done a lot today, it was just the last few hours that had really got to her. They were now well into the evening thanks to how long it took on the ride over. “I’m really sorry about this,” Yang said, feeling guilty. Blake raised an eyebrow, chuckling at her. She ran a hand through her hair as she said, “That wasn’t what I asked.”

“I know - I am tired - but I’m also sorry I dragged you into this.”

“Don’t worry about it. At least now we have a while to talk.”

“Talk about...?”

Blake raised an eyebrow at her, frowning. “About how you’re about to imply to everyone that I’m your girlfriend when you’ve only told me you liked me in the most middle school of ways,” Blake stated and Yang couldn’t deny anything she said. It was all true and it definitely wasn’t fair on Blake. Yang nodded, bouncing her knee as she tried to think. “How about this,” she said, looking back up at Blake. “Tomorrow, it can be just me and you. I’ll take you out- anywhere you want.”

The Faunus girl debated this, pouting and twisting her lips to the side in contemplation. She finally settled on a smirk as she met Yang’s eyes, and the blonde melted under that gaze of gold. “Alright, it’s a date then,” she breathed out, biting back another smile. The blonde nodded, suddenly very shy about all of this. No wonder, she thought, this was all a little insane. “Also, we’re gonna have to share a bed for the next couple nights- but I can sleep somewhere else-“

“Yang, I’m not kicking you out of your own room,” Blake said, giggling as she looked over to the king sized bed. “Besides, it was actually nice to sleep next to someone...”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I haven’t done it in such a long time.”

“Any chance I can borrow some clothes to sleep in?” Yang grinned at Blake, already moving to her wardrobe to search for something for her to wear. It was weirdly exciting, because truthfully, this would be one of the only instances she slept next to a girl she was seeing. That wasn’t right, she wasn’t even seeing Blake, there was nothing established here. Only an agreement to go on a date tomorrow and borrowing clothes tonight.

Yang pulled out one of her t-shirts and pairs of cycling shorts, passing them over to Blake. She thanked her as she took the clothes from Yang, taking off to the bathroom to get changed. Yang herself got changed into a tank top and shorts, knowing anything more would mean she would be sweating profusely come morning.

Climbing into bed, Yang took off her prosthetic and placed it onto the bedside cabinet, human arm thrown over her eyes as she lay back. She heard the bathroom door open, the sound of feet shuffling over the carpet, then the mattress sink next to her. Blake slid under the covers, falling onto her side to look at Yang across the pillow. “Feel better now that you get to sleep in a real bed?” Blake quipped, causing Yang to grin.

She took her arm around from her face, looking over at Blake. Her voice caught in her throat upon seeing how good Blake look lying there, head sunk into the pillow and hair slightly messy around her head. Her eyes sparkled, teeth shining as she smiled. Yang couldn’t describe how much she adored this girl that she barely knew, but wanted to know entirely. “Oh definitely, although you being here too is definitely a bonus,” Yang said with a wink.

“You’re so corny, you already got me into bed you don’t have to woo me.”

“Shut up,” she giggled, rolling over onto her side to face Blake. The Faunus girl feigned shock, holding a hand up to her mouth as she gasped. “Are you telling me to shut up because my joke was better? Are you a sore loser Xiao-Long?” She asked, playfully jabbing Yang in the stomach. “No, of course not,” she lied. Yang wasn’t exactly a sore loser, but she sure as hell didn’t like losing. But she would admit defeat if it was Blake who was winning.

“Why do you look so awake, you should be exhausted.” Blake shifted slightly into the pillow, her ear awkwardly moving to try and free itself. “I am, but I like talking to you so...” 

“Gods, you’re _actually_ thirteen!”

“Shut up its true! You’re just... pretty cool- _I do_ sound thirteen, I hear it,” Yang said, giggling as she rolled onto her back and covered her face with her arm again. Blake giggled with her and shuffling closer to Yang, tucking her feet into her legs. Yang jumped, arm flying up to remain there halfway in the air. “Your feet are freezing!” She laughed. Blake let out a small sigh of relief, and Yang noticed how her ears were pinned back, eyes widened.

She realised her mistake, she had been too abrupt in her shock. Her hand flying into the air had startled Blake. Yang gulped and brought her hand back down slowly, cupping Blake’s cheek. “Shit, I’m sorry-“

“It’s fine, it’s just that my cold feet spooked you.”

“No, don’t play it off like that.” Blake averted her gaze, a guilty look stricken across her. Yang sighed and leaned a little closer, her hand sliding down Blake’s arm and to her waist, gently chiding her closer. “I’m sorry, I’ll try be more careful- is this alright by the way?” Blake nodded, accepting the invitation to come closer.

Blake rested her head on Yang’s bicep, which she was sure would give her a dead arm in the morning, but it was fine right now. They both lay there, silent, enjoying each other presence until they fell asleep. 

* * *

The next morning, Blake was convinced she had never slept in a comfier bed in her life. The rock hard yet extremely soft pillow, which was Yang’s bicep, helped her along in her sleep too.

Yang was still fast asleep judging by her snores and the way her eyes were glued shut. Blake had laughed at her a couple days earlier, when she strolled into the living room and Yang was sprawled out across her sofa. It was kind of charming how she’s would just make herself at home and enjoy every moment of it. Although with the amount of food Yang consumed, she effectively eating Blake out of house and home.

She smiled and pulled the covers up further over Yang as she rolled over, sitting up on the edge of the bed. Sensing the absence of Blake in her sleep Yang tried to move forward to cuddle her, but didn’t bat an eyelid when Blake gave her a pillow to hug in her stead.

As soon as she pulled the quilt off of herself, Blake could tell one thing; the room was uncomfortably warm. They hadn’t bothered to pull the curtains shut the night before, opting to get changed into lighter clothing and hop into bed instead. Which was a regret now that morning - or afternoon - had come and the sun was beaming through the window.

Under normal circumstances Blake would’ve just gotten dress in something light, cleaned herself up and gone about her day. But it wasn’t an average day for her, because for the first time in years she was somewhere that wasn’t Solanacae. She was in Vacuo, in a fancy hotel she could never afford, with a gorgeous girl she could never have dreamed to obtain, and had no clue what the fuck to do next.

Her first instinct was to go to the bathroom, so not knowing what else to do, she followed that instinct. There was a moment where she paused after half closing the door, forgetting what a nice bathroom actually looked like. The bright white tiles blinded her, as did the sun that was coming through another wall with a floor to ceiling window... with the bath sitting in front of it. She supposed that it was fine seeing as they were about five-hundred feet in the air.

Deciding to make the most of her time until Yang woke up, she whipped her shirt off and leaned over the side of the bathtub. Grabbing the detachable facet and a nearby bottle of shampoo (the price of which she was unwilling to guess) she began washing her hair. She was grateful for the lukewarm water in this heat, it wasn’t freezing but just warm enough to actually lather her hair. It felt nice on her ears too, she had to admit. 

It only took her a few minutes to wash her hair; always a pleasure, never a chore. The door swung open as she was putting the facet back into place. 

“Blake? You in- oh shit! _Sorry_!” 

Yang swung the door closed, her metal hand still visible and clutching onto the door handle. Blake laughed and reached for her shirt again, throwing it over her head and reaching for a towel to dry her hair. “I was just washing my hair, I’m not naked or anything,” Blake giggled as she began to walk towards the door, pulling it away from Yang’s hand. The blonde nodded, and Blake had to laugh again at how her face was so red. She supposed that this strange shyness was part of her charm.

“Uh, s-so Weiss said that my bike won’t be here until late this afternoon, so I said we were gonna take the day to _hangout_...” Yang trailed off, eyes scanning Blake’s damp hair and cheeks lighting up red again. “Is t-that okay?”

“Yeah, we said we would last night, but I don’t have anything to wear,” She pointed out, a small part of her hoping she would say ‘that’s fine, we’ll just head back to your place.’ Instead Yang waved her off then gestured over to the wardrobe. “Just borrow some of my clothes and I’ll get you something to wear today,” she said. Blake could only nod in response. The blonde quietly went about her business, hopping from the bed to the wardrobe, selecting different types of clothes that Blake might like. 

But here was the thing. The only person who had ever picked her clothes since she broke up with Adam was herself, before that he would always choose for her. And say he would buy her clothes, she could use his bathroom, him this, him that... So excuse her if she flinched at the thought of not being in control. Especially when she is thousands of miles from home. Her only comforts were that she could tell Yang meant well and that Velvet was here with her. Somewhere... actually she might have been abandoned for Yang’s hot friend. 

Yang must have sensed her uneasiness and paused in her motions, sitting down on the bed to look over at Blake. She liked to think that Yang had sat down because she knew she was taller and wanted it to seem like Blake had an advantage here. “Are you alright?” She asked, hands gripping her own knees. Blake nodded again and walked over, taking in the mix and match outfits Yang had spread out for her. 

Maybe it was her paranoia, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of everything being out of her control again. Like right now for instance, she was being given a choice to what to wear. An illusion of a choice, she thought, it was all some sort of ploy. Something to lure her in. Because right now, despite being able to pick and choose, she still wasn’t being given a choice really was she? Or she was and she was just overthinking this. 

“If you don’t like it there’s more stuff in the closet-“

“No, it’s fine. Thank you,” she said, grabbing the purple vest top and black shorts before anything else could be said. She was glad she hadn’t worn boots the day before, or else this would’ve been a whole lot harder for her. Yang smiled and moved to the closet to grab her own outfit for the day, then to the bathroom as to give Blake some privacy. She was respectful, which was nice- Yang was nice. 

But she supposed they all are until they aren’t anymore. 

* * *

“So, where to next?”

“I really don’t know, want to show me around?” Blake smiled at her, and she knew she had sold her lie when Yang smiled, no doubt a glint in her eye that Blake couldn’t see past the aviator shades. Blake knew a lot about designer brands, could tell a knockoff from the real deal with a few glances from living with Adam. He had always been Mr Moneybags. 

Yang had suggested that the two of them had to wear hats and sunglasses to ‘disguise’ themselves. Blake had always thought it was a cliche you only seen in movies but it was surprisingly effective. Where half of Remnant should know Yang; no one did. Which was nice because it meant there was no big shot Xiao Long. 

Well, there was but in a different kind of way. 

And by different kind of way Blake meant the annoying way where she was all giddy about spending absurd amounts of money on Blake for no reason. She supposed she should have seen this coming, Yang had paid for half of her store to be refurbished too. But it was also very familiar to her, and not in a good way. 

Familiar in the way there was a strong grip on her hand, tugging her from store to store and telling her to try stuff on. Then telling her to be grateful that she had been bought so many ‘gifts.’ 

The difference was that where she would expect harsh tones, rough hands and the hissing of a tongue. There was instead a gentle guide on the small of her back, words floating harmlessly just to fill in the gaps and the light breath of a laugh that hung in the air. Where she would look at something that would normally be disapproved, told that she would look a certain way in that. She was instead met with enthusiasm, an eagerness to let Blake have anything she wanted. 

It was nice and it wasn’t. Different but the same. And it would be so very hard to explain to Yang without offending her. So Blake kept quiet and let Yang lead her around, taking her from store to store, pointing at things and asking the same question of ‘what about that?’ over and over again. It was nice. 

However there was a voice in Blake’s head that told her it was all nice until it wasn’t anymore. That at one point it would all fall down on top of her, if it happened once it could happen again. She could admit that it was a problem. That it had created a deep fear of getting close to anyone again. But she liked Yang, like she hadn’t liked anyone in a long time. Despite the whole ‘I have enough money to buy you anything’ part, there was another side of Yang that she had seen. The hardworking person who wanted to garden with her mom and who cares so deeply for others. 

Blake paused her thoughts, ready to contradict herself again, to say that she didn’t really know Yang at all. Those thoughts were thrown out of the window when the blonde paused and swerved through the mall they were in, looking back at Blake to silently ask her to follow. Of course, the Faunus girl had no clue where they were going. She had never been to Vacuo before never mind anything as fancy as whatever this high end mall was. But she followed Yang anyway, even though she was compelled to turn around and leave. 

“Want to get something to eat?” Yang said, finally somewhat disclosing where they were headed. “Y’know, since I’ve been eating your food all week.” Blake giggled and nodded at her before saying, “Sure, sounds good.” 

Blake wasn’t surprised by the expensiveness of the restaurant this time. She had spent hours going in and out of stores, Yang practically covering the price tag to encourage Blake into just getting whatever she felt like. It worked for a few things, but others she relented and let Blake get her usual cheap things. Like when she was buying underwear because she knew she’d be in Vacuo for a few days. Which was very cute of Yang to be shy about seeing her buy underwear. Blake thought that she might mentally still be sixteen. 

“Is this okay?” Yang asked. Having asked that question a hundred times over today, Blake was used to replying with a simple ‘yes’ but she thought she’d change it up a little. “This is good,” she said, sliding into the chair across from Yang. The blondes face lit up, clearly happy that she had pleased Blake. Her joy extended to Blake and she laughed, unable to contain it and unknowing what to do with it.

“Have you been here before?” Blake asked, a sneaking suspicion that she might have. She was surprised when Yang shook her head, shrugging as she smirked. “I just saw a sign pointing out that this was here and I’ve heard it’s nice. So if you hate it blames only reviews not me,” she said and it drew a genuine laugh from Blake. It was barely funny, but for some reason Yang just made it seem hilarious.

“If they have fish here then I’m in for a real treat.”

“How typical of a cat Faunus fo like fish.” Yang smirked at her, resting her elbow on her table and her chin on her hand. She didn’t allow herself a moment to look at Blake- or well she did but she couldn’t meet her eyes. The sunglasses keeping a mystery about her. Blake didn’t like it. Although she wouldn’t say that to her but she didn’t like the idea she couldn’t see the intent in her eyes. But at the same time she wanted to trust her, wanted it so badly it hurt.

“I guess, I bet with the way you act you’re gonna order a steak or something,” Blake said, the corner of her lips at a slight upturn. Yang laughed and shrugged again, keeping a smile plastered on her face. “You’ve got me there.”

Maybe Blake did have her pegged. Or maybe it was all a show like he used to put on. She didn’t know. However she did laugh and joke with Yang over their lunch, which was nice. She liked this, whatever chemistry there was between them was definitely real. It was when they were leaving to go back to the hotel and get changed that Yang had almost referred to it as her hotel. Quickly correcting herself and using a different term instead.

That one slip up had Blake’s paranoia laughing at her. 

* * *

Blake had decided that maybe she had to leave. Maybe this was a spur of the moment mistake. 

She went about the rest of her night as she would have, getting into bed with Yang where she had intended to spend the night when she first got in. But the longer she spent under the covers, staring out the window she now realised they had forgotten to close the blinds of, she was starting to want to leave. Although she did feel good, safe and happy with Yang’s arm loosely slung around her waist. 

It had been hours of lying here, staring out the window and thinking everything through, analysing every little detail she could remember so she could make the choice of stay or leave. The blonde behind her wasn’t helping her much with her stupid sleeping habits, like how she had just kissed the back of Blake’s neck and mumbled something, so caught up in dreamland it had extended to reality. 

She thought back on the day, the week, every single little bit of Yang’s behaviour. She decided to scrutinise every piece, every nice comment or flirty smiles. Blake came to the conclusion that she reminded her of Adam, despite being different she still reminded her of what she tried so hard to get away from. She couldn’t risk that kind of thing happening again. 

Blake quietly slid out of bed, placing a pillow under Yang’s arm like she had done earlier that morning. She was convinced she had never walked around so quietly in her life, putting on clothes without even rustling the fabric. Blake didn’t bother to take anything that Yang had bought her, just the clothes that she came in, her scroll and her bank card. Thank god she had that with her, she had more than enough to stay in Vacuo for tonight whilst she waited for morning so she could call Velvet. 

Taking one last glance towards Yang as she slipped on her shoes, she began to feel guilty. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, her lips pouting slightly and sun kissed skin looking so soft that she wanted to lean over and kiss it. But it was a bad idea. Blake felt like she had to go.

She left a note in the room before she left without a sound. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late I got a little writers block. I also got very drunk for a weekend with my friends and played mario kart.


	9. Dazed and Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang has a rude awakening. Literally.

Yang awoke the following morning, warm and comfy in her bed. Her anxiety from the previous day had immediately kicked in, chest tightening and the air escaping in shallow breaths. It was a type of nervousness she hadn’t experienced in a long time, something that made her overly eager to please. She also had the tendency to quickly reply with a half-assed answer or an awkward laugh.

So not her finest moments, but Yang gave herself a pat on the back for recovering and getting back to normal when they got back to their hotel room.

She could smell that dull scent of lemon and lavender, something she had come to a associate with Blake. She leaned forward to tuck her face into Blake’s neck- or it _should_ have been Blake’s neck. Instead she was met with soft fabric that her face dipped into, and that definitely wasn’t a shirt either. Was it?

Yang’s eyes flew open and she realised that what she had tried to cuddle up to was a pillow, not Blake. She sat up and pulled the quilt off of her, looking around the room. “Blake?” She called out as she got out of bed, blinking the sleep out of her eyes as she strolled to the bathroom. Her heart skipped a beat when she opened the door and saw that Blake wasn’t there.

An immediate panic set in, suddenly wide awake and wondering where the hell Blake was. Her breathing picked up and she had to steady herself in the doorway, a wave of nausea overtaking her. It was ridiculous that she was reacting this way, because Blake was a grown woman she could do whatever she wanted, she didn’t need to tell Yang. She took a deep breath through her nose and glanced over at the bed, noticing a bright green note on the pillow she had been clutching minutes earlier.

Yang jumped onto the bed, kneeling as she reached over to grab the note.

> ‘ **Was a little overwhelmed by everything so I’m going back home.**
> 
> ** I’m so sorry. **
> 
> **Blake x** ’

She honestly felt like crying, she wouldn’t but she felt like it. She didn’t even know when Blake left or if she would be able to call her right now. Shuffling around the room, Yang began pulling the place apart. She hadn’t taken anything with her, only the clothes she came in and her scroll. A sigh slipped past her lips as she sat on the edge of the bed, face buried in her palms. She accepted defeat. Yang knew she had screwed up, she didn’t know what she did but she knew it was a screw up. 

She reached for her scroll and searched for Blake’s name. There was a sort of gratefulness to past Yang for remembering to ask for her number, but she also despised past Yang for not realising there was something wrong sooner. She held her scroll to her ear, hearing it ring once, twice, three times. But despite thinking Blake might pick up, it just rang out until it want to voicemail. 

“Hey Blake, it’s Yang. I’m...” she glanced sadly at the fully stocked wardrobe. “I’m sorry for whatever I did, and I’m sorry if you were overwhelmed by... _me_? I don’t know,” she said, realising now that she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. Yang leaned back onto the bed. “Call me if you get this- or just text me and let me know you’re alright. And... I guess if you’re going back home I’ll come see you after my race. I’ll bring Velvet home.” 

Her eyes flitted over the ceiling, realising that Velvet must be still here. And if she wasn’t then Blake would surely be fine. If anyone knew where Blake was right now it would be Velvet, plus maybe she could get her on the phone. “So... yeah, call me- _or text_. Just let me know you’re okay.” Yang pinched the bridge of her nose when she realised that this voicemail was gonna sound shockingly bad with her awkward rambling, she was even repeating herself now! “Bye Blake...” 

She hung up the scroll and tossed it to the side. She would have to get dressed and go see if Velvet was still here. 

* * *

Yang took an embarrassingly long time to find Coco’s hotel room. To be fair she didn’t know where it was in the first place and had to ask Weiss but it was still a really long time. 

She knocked on the door, yelling through that it was Yang outside. She had a feeling Coco would probably just... _not open the door_. She had done it before. Once when Yang was drunk and turned up at her apartment, looking for a place to crash, she had just left Yang to knock the door until she eventually fell asleep. Coco must’ve gotten worried and brought her inside because she remembered waking up in her guest bedroom.

Impatient, Yang rolled her eyes and reached for the door handle, finding that the door was already unlocked. Which was convenient but also worrying. She took a step inside the door then immediately chuckled at the sight of Coco hopping around with one leg in her jeans, quickly trying to look somewhat decent. The brunette glared at her. “Ever heard of knocking?” She growled. 

Yang shrugged, feigning nonchalance despite the racing of her heart, her brain focusing on more pressing matters. “Nope, where’s Velvet?”

“Good morning to you, too.”

“ _Coco_.”

“She left like an hour ago, said she had to go do something,” Coco said, eyeing Yang sceptically as she looped her belt around her jeans. She said it so casually that Yang was beginning to think she knew more than she was letting on. Or it was just a casual thing that had happened and Yang was on the verge of a panic attack. “What’s going on with you?” She asked, thumbs hooking into her pockets once she was done with her belt. 

Yang shook her head, sighing as she tried to slow her breathing. “Blake left and she won’t answer her scroll, I just wanted to know if Velvet knew what happened,” Yang said, gripping the side of the door. She questioned why she hadn’t shut it yet but she also wasn’t too bothered about it. Coco slid a hand through her hair, reaching for her scroll and flicking it open. “I’ll text and ask if she’s with Blake, alright?” Yang nodded, taking a few steps into the room and sitting down on the disheveled mess of a bed. 

Coco gently patted her head, fingers shaking out her bangs. She liked that Coco treated her like a little sister, because in a way Coco had been the only person who had ever really taken care of her. Weiss as well, but that was only in the most dire of situations... no that was cruel. The ice queen thawed every now and then to make sure she was alright. 

“Velvet’s with her.” 

Yang let out a sigh as a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. That was good. Well it wasn’t good but at least she knew Blake was fine. The blonde nodded again, a dumb expression she couldn’t quite shake. It felt odd to be left. It always had but it didn’t get any better each time it happened. Each time she thought ‘it’ll be fine’ it never was... 

The blonde slapped her own face, trying to knock out the sense of feeling sorry for herself. Coco raised an eyebrow at her as she laughed. The door gently swayed and in cans Weiss, always arriving at the most inopportune moments. She raised an eyebrow at Yang, her steely blue eyes softening slightly as she sensed something wrong. 

“I was coming to find you to say that you have an interview in a couple hours, should I cancel?” Weiss asked, leaning against the door and still looking over Yang. She hated the analytic stare but she could never avoid it. Yang was conflicted on what to do. She could cancel and take the interview when she was calmed. But she also knew there was a chance Weiss had tipped off the reporters that Yang might be seeing someone (untrue but it was a reason for why she was missing), meaning if she cancelled it would come off like there had been a weird lovers spat. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just do it,” Yang groaned, skin already aching as she imagined the vultures picking at anything they could. At the least, this would be something to preoccupy her. 

* * *

Blake was sat in her hotel room, a room far less superior than Yang’s. Although she didn’t miss the glare of the sun through the window. 

She felt somewhat guilty for walking out last night without a word. She hoped that her intuition had been right and she hadn’t totally fucked up her chance at a new relationship. She felt even worse when Yang’s voicemail came through, leaving it on repeat until Velvet turned up. There was no need for audio, she could still hear it in her mind. 

It made her wrestle with herself. She had fallen for the voicemail trick before and ended up locked up in an apartment for months on end, unable to see anyone except the people she worked with. But at the same time Yang sounded pained that Blake had left, sounded like she was genuinely concerned and wanted to know if Blake was alright. Then again so did Adam in those voicemails. It made hard for her to tell genuine concern from falsity. 

That had always been her problem, being too paranoid. Ever since she left Adam it had worsened. Blake had to laugh at the memory of a time where she was convinced Adam had came looking for her and was waiting in the forest next to her and Velvet’s apartment. So ridiculous, yet she kept it up for weeks until Velvet pressed an article into her lap about how Adam had been arrested after being caught illegally selling dust. 

“Coco asked if I’m with you, should I tell her?” Velvet asked, curious eyes peering at Blake. She nodded, allowed the rabbit Faunus the pleasure of disclosing that the two of them were together right now. A slight giggle escaped her lips after her scroll dinged again, signalling that another text had come through. Blake was thrilled Velvet was getting along with Coco and all, but she... y’know... found cute stuff annoying. Then again she couldn’t complain, Velvet had witnessed Blake and that blonde, charming mess try to flirt with each other for the last week or so. 

“So,” Velvet said, sliding her scroll shut and tossing it aside. “You ready to talk yet?” 

Blake’s ears flicked back and she scratched the bridge of her nose, in all honesty she didn’t want to talk. She knew she had to but there didn’t mean she wanted to. “I’m just scared is all,” Blake said, because it was simple and true. Velvet nodded at her and replied, “I know.”

“And...” Blake debated whether or not to voice her opinion, a constant fight with herself. “Yang’s just- there’s some things she does like Adam. It just reminds me of him.” 

“I know.”

“Velv, I’m glad you’re here but you’re not really helping.” 

“I really don’t know what to say to you Blake, this is _your_ decision,” She said, folding her arms over her chest and leaning back against the headboard. Blake sighed, she was right, it was her decision. And she didn’t know if she was making the right decision- it was all very confusing and nerve wracking. She ducked her face into her hands, mentally trying to think of all the things Yang had in common with-

“I think she’s different from him.” 

Blake looked up, gently swiping her bangs away from her eyes. It was as if Velvet had just read her mind, and she wanted her to continue speaking. 

“Like, do you think Adam would help you refurbish your store? And there’s more than that, like how Yang went out of her way to try and get Neptune over his fear of water,” Velvet giggled. Blake joined in with her, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling too much. She was sure that Yang had only done that to impress her, which was flattering in its own way. But there was also that spark of genuine care- Gods, Yang was even gardening with her mom a few times...

“Maybe you’re right...” Blake admitted, thinking back on everything and feeling a little less anxious. Her nerves were still shot from everything, but she would be willing to take a chance. The other girl smiled softly, ears bent and flicking at the sound of her scroll buzzing. Her ears scanned over her new text before meeting Blake’s again. “So are you ready to come back? Coco texted asking if I was coming to Yang’s interview.” Her stomach churned at the thought of mics and cameras being shoved in her face. 

Velvet winced, clearly on the same page as her. “Yeah... it might be a lot.” She nodded in agreement. “You can go to it if you want, I’ll be fine here-“

“Blake, I’m not gonna ditch you.”

“You obviously want to go see Coco.”

The tip of Velvet’s ear flicked, her tell that she silently agreed with her but didn’t want to admit it. The brunette sighed and typed something on her scroll, sliding it into her pocket and standing up. “I’ll come back later, okay?” Velvet reassured, moving towards the door. Blake hummed in response and watched her leave, reaching for the TV remote once she heard the door close. She had plans of watching an interview on one of these channels. 

* * *

“So, they’re gonna be asking about Blake?”

“Well not specifically, but that’s what the general questions are gonna be about... or so I heard.” Weiss sheepishly scratched her cheek, adjusting her earrings as she stepped up next to Yang. The blonde hummed and slid her sunglasses on over her eyes, she had always felt that they kept her calm in these interviews. There was a wave from one of the many cameramen and Yang found herself walking out towards the panel. 

Sitting down, she barely even got a second to breathe before there were cameras flashing in her face, journalists yelling at her and waving. She sighed and faked a smile, running a metallic hand through her bangs as she tried to decide what to do next. She waved her hand at them, a gesture for them to settle down. “Okay, one person at a time... uh, you,” she said, pointing to a Faunus girl up front with deer antlers. 

“Are you worried about the race because you haven’t been practicing?” 

Yang raised an eyebrow, how assuming of them that she hadn’t been practicing. They were right but... y’know, she wasn’t going to admit that. 

“Uh, no, not at all. It’ll be a piece of cake!” Yang grinned, she found that the fastest way to get through these things was to keep your answers short and vague. She pointed to another faunus girl and heard someone complain that she was favouring Faunus. 

“Is it true that you were visiting your girlfriend for the last week?”

Yang’s smile cracked. She wasn’t expecting a question like that to come up so soon, but to be fair she didn’t know what she was expecting when she came out here. “ _Uh_...” she glanced over to Weiss who was nodding at her, encouraging her to say yes. “Well, _yes_ , but I’m not here to talk about that-“

“Who is she?”

“If she wanted to be known, everyone would’ve saw her by now.” She sighed and assumed this would be the only questions she was gonna get. “Okay, let’s wrap this up. One final question.”

“Will this ruin your bachelor status?”

What the hell did that even mean? And shouldn’t it be bachelorette? She hoped that Blake would be flipping out over this if she was watching. Which was actually a pretty funny thought. Actually that was a good question. Was Blake watching this? Would she be thinking that she’s avoiding talking about her? Shit, maybe she should say something.

“Probably,” she responded, without really thinking. “I mean, she’s great... I like her a lot and I don’t really want to screw it up by saying something stupid right now. But, yeah, she rocks my world.” Yang realised that she sounded like a douche, but she was going with it now that it was out there. 

There were a few ‘awes’ cooed by reporters that made her awkwardly clear her throat. She assumed this was the most she could juice out of this interview. Hopefully Blake liked what she heard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, sorry for the delay guys. We’re fixing up my aunties new house and I’m living alone right now. Well not really alone my girlfriend is here but y’know, it’s been weird. 
> 
> Anyways, I’ll try get this series wrapped up this week and I’ve got two other projects in mind if you guys want to comment and tell me what you’d like to see. 
> 
> I’ve got a Bumbleby Hollywood kind of AU and what I’m calling ‘Menagerie Magazine’ in which Yang is a model and Blake is a fashion journalist.


	10. The Winner Takes It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale.

Yang woke up to several alarms and voices, all of which were very intrusive. She had been enjoying her sleep, hugging the pillow that Blake had slept on. Which she realised was weird but was grateful no one would see. Or at least they _weren’t meant to_ until they all just barged into her room. Someone shouted for her to get up and she snarled, which earned several things being thrown at her.

Growling again she sat up, glaring at Weiss who stood at the foot of her bed. She had her arms folded over her chest, her scroll held tightly to her ear and an eyebrow raised. Yang opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Coco throwing a towel at her. “Move your ass and shower, we’ve only got a few hours before your race starts,” Coco said, reaching for Yang’s race suit and completely ignoring any objection Yang might’ve had.

The blonde sighed and reluctantly went to take a shower, disappointed that the water washed away any lingering scents she had picked up from cuddling Blake’s pillow...

Gods, was this why Blake left? Because she was a total weirdo?

“Yang, we’ve gotta get a move on!” Weiss called out, making Yang groan and lean her head against the tiles. She was so over everything. Which was an odd feeling. The one thing she had been looking forward to, the one chance to really prove herself, and suddenly she didn’t want it anymore. Her mind was just... preoccupied. Well, no, that sounded lame. Maybe she was just really lame. Who knows at this point.

In an attempt to get her mind onto her race, she thought about she was going to be boiling in her race suit. Seriously, black leather and the Vacuo sun would not mix well together. Hopefully this would be over soon and she could just dive into her tent and get changed. Apparently Coco had the same thought as Yang could hear her complaining to Weiss for her.

“Yang-“

“I heard you Weiss, I’m just finishing washing my hair.”

“Is that what they call it these days?”

“Since when do you make jokes?” 

* * *

“I’m gonna die before I even get out there,” Yang announced as she fanned herself with her hat. She already felt cooked and she wasn’t even outside yet. She had been inside of the VIP suites where she was surrounded by air conditioning and fans, yet she still felt the need to fan herself. Yang silently thanked the gods that she had the sense to eat some food and stay hydrated. 

“Trouble in paradise?” A silky smooth voice said from behind her and Yang could only grimace at what was to come. Speaking with Cinder, no matter the interaction, was always a chore. It was the way that nothing could get under her skin and how she could so easily read everyone else that annoyed Yang. Seriously, it was like she got kicked out of hell. 

“Actually, everything’s fine,” Yang said. Obviously a lie, all of it was a lie really. Blake wasn’t her girlfriend and at this point it was unlikely that she would be at all. Which... bothered her honestly. The one thing she wouldn’t lie about right now was that she was really into Blake. Cinder hummed at her, smirking viciously. “Oh really? Where is your little girlfriend then? I heard she came to Vacuo with you,” Cinder asked.

“She’s... still asleep. Didn’t want to wake her up.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“I don’t know why you can’t just mind your own business in the first place.” Yang growled, clasping her hands behind her back as she tried to calm herself down. She might throw a punch otherwise. “Why can’t you just drop out? It was just dumb luck that you got this far and you know it.” Yang grinned at that, feeling her ego inflate slightly. She tilted her head to the side, “Feeling threatened?”

“ _No_ ,” she snapped, a little too quickly, shaking she was on the defensive. “You know what? Enjoy your post breakup vibes. I have a trophy to win.” She rolled her eyes as she walked off outside, seemingly completely unaffected by the sun beating down on her. Maybe she was a demon? No, Yang swore those things burned in the sun. She’s definitely some sort of monster though, Yang was sure if it.

She turned to see Pyrrha walk up beside her, pressing a reassuring hand to her shoulder. “Don’t worry about her, she’s all bark and no bite,” Pyrrha said. Yang raised an eyebrow at her, smirking slightly. “How do you know that?” Pyrrha shrugged, smiling softly as she took a step back from Yang. “She hasn’t won yet.”

Yang couldn’t fathom how Pyrrha was so bright and chipper. Sure, she was pretty cheerful herself but nowhere near the amount that Pyrrha was. Yang gestured to Pyrrha’s red and gold race suit with a flick of her wrist. “Aren’t you warm?” She asked and Pyrrha shook her head, shrugging. “I’m used to it, plus it’s pretty cool in here what with all of the fans,” she said, smirking at Yang who was beet red from the heat.

“You seem different from the first time I met you,” Pyrrha said, taking Yang completely by surprise. She didn’t exactly know what Pyrrha was talking about, maybe she was referring to Blake? Yang furrowed her brow and asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when I first met you, you were all charm and confidence. You acted like you were an open book,” Pyrrha said, pausing for a moment to raise her eyes at Yang, making sure she was listening. Yang nodded at her. “Today you just seem... a little unsure of yourself. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.” She chuckled nervously.

The blonde awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, smiling sheepishly. “Actually you’re pretty spot on. I guess I’m just not in the right frame of mind right now,” She said, not knowing what else to say. Because she honestly didn’t know what to say about what she was thinking right now. It was all just white noise, going through the motions that she knew she should be doing anyway. Maybe she should take a break after this.

Pyrrha nodded, understanding her. Yang cleared her throat, eyes darting around, one of her nervous ticks. “So... uh... how’s your boyfriend?” Yang asked. Strangely, she liked talking to Pyrrha. She was nice and genuine, she also didn’t know her so her opinion didn’t matter that much. Which, Yang realised, was _very_ harsh. “He’s good, I think he’s off putting sunscreen on right now, sensitive skin for a sensitive guy,” she said, smiling slightly at the thought of her boyfriend. Yang figured she had a soft spot for sensitive guys.

“What about you? I heard you skipped Vacuo for a few days to visit your girlfriend.” The redhead smirked at Yang, but Yang could only frown. Was it totally pathetic of her to miss Blake this much? Probably. “Yeah... yeah that was cool, hanging out with her for a couple of days.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Pyrrha frowned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Did you get into a fight or something?”

“Uh... kind of,” Yang said, scratching her head. “She’s working through some stuff is all.”

“Well, I hope it works out for the both of you.”

“...Me too.” 

* * *

There should’ve been an excitement for the race, a giddiness and an eagerness to win. But Yang was just... _there_. Nothing was exciting her. Revving the engine on her bike, tyres screeching as she spun around a corner to chase after her other two competitors- even the cheering crowd didn’t do it for her. 

Which was odd, because this was all she ever wanted. The first total rookie to win the Sanus Cup. It should’ve been game changing, career defying. But instead it was just... there. She could hear Ruby shouting for her to move a little further to the inside in her headset, so she complied. She came neck and neck again with Cinder like she had done for the last few rounds. 

Maybe she hadn’t fully processed what was about to happen and her excitement was just pending. Was that it? She jolted to the left as she realised she was too lost in thought when she should’ve been focused on what was in front of her. To be fair Blake was in front of her all week- okay, no, this was bordering on obsession. 

But... could she really be blamed? Blake was amazing. Well, she was perfect and Yang was willing to give up everything she was working towards for her. Which was very dangerous. Then again how often did someone like Blake come along into your life? Gorgeous, smart, independent- every trait Yang found attractive really. It was more than that though, she was someone who actually understood Yang. Which had never really happened before. 

“Hey, Ruby?” Yang said, speaking casually into her headset as if she wasn’t in the middle of an intense race. She cut in front of Cinder to save herself a few seconds of hassle. “What’s up?” Ruby says back, just as casual as Yang. She was given an odd look from Cinder, who she could feel glaring at her through her visor. “Do you know if anyone’s heard from Blake yet?” She asked. Yang briefly wondered if Blake wasn’t there, was she watching this on TV? 

That made her a little excited, the thought of Blake watching and being impressed. Even better, she might be proud. She sped up and swung around the corner, leaving Cinder in the dust. The blonde realised Ruby hadn’t replied yet, but she honestly wanted to keep talking. Gushing a little might make her feel better. “I wonder if Blake went home or not, Velvet never said. I think I’ll call her after this is over, maybe go visit-“

“I know you’re pretty hung up on me, but you’ve got a race to win right now.” 

Yang’s heart skipped a beat, she recognised that voice from anywhere. Soft with a slight husk that she could listen to all day. 

“ _Blake_?”

There was a tiny giggle from the other end of the line. 

“Hey, gorgeous,” Blake said and Yang was now genuinely excited. She knew for sure Blake was watching, that Blake was here, and that made winning all the more important now. But also... she didn’t really care. Win or lose, Blake was here. She supposed now she could try and win fair and square without throwing it for now reason... actually, she didn’t know why she considered doing that. “Ruby gave me the headset because she didn’t want to listen to you talk about me.”

“That makes sense.” 

“Guess you’re winning it all today.”

“I am?” 

“Yup... I’d love to keep talking to you but you kind of need to pay attention to your race right now. I’ll see you afterwards though,” Blake said and there was a rustling sound on the mic, indicating that she had taken off the headset. Yang let out a little content sigh. Knowing Blake was here and that she was fine was actually very relieving. 

However, she was immediately worried when her bike was bumped into and began to sway from whatever just happened. She managed to keep her balance but that was definitely terrifying. She didn’t want to imagine herself flying off her bike with her going at breakneck speeds. It brought back the terrible memory of what happened to her arm, even if it didn’t bother her much anymore. 

“Yang?! Are you alright?” Ruby’s voice squeaked over the headset. 

“Yeah, I’m good, what just happened there?”

“Cinders trying to bump into your bike-“

“That’s _illegal_.”

“Yeah, but not if she makes it look like she’s just trying to pass by you.” 

Yang blew out another sigh, apparently this would be harder than she anticipated, what with Cinder Fall being a psychopath and all. 

* * *

The race was going surprisingly well. Yang had managed to stay far enough away from Cinder to avoid her bumping into her bike, but she couldn’t catch up to Pyrrha yet, but she still had the final lap to go. 

So, taking a leap of faith, Yang moved to the complete inside lane where there was only a sliver of concrete to drive on before she went skidding across the grass. Finally, she passed by Pyrrha on her way to the final lap. There was a cheer from the crowd and a few excited squeals from her headset, most notable Blake’s laugh. Music to her ears. 

This was great though, she couldn’t help herself from smiling. Cinder and Pyrrha were neck and neck behind her, but she was still ahead. Spinning around the final bend, she let herself grin wider. Elated by the sight of the finish line in front of her. Gods, she was so excited for this, she was literally moments away from winning first place. 

There was a deafening screech behind her, followed by a few clunk and something skidding. She glanced back to see Pyrrha’s bike had skid across the grass and she was now lying on her side. Was she unconscious? Yang couldn’t tell. But she knew she couldn’t just leave her like that, as much as it hurt. But first... as selfish as it sounded, she had something to do. 

Her bike was barely across the finish line before it was skidding to a stop. She hopped off, leaving the bike to fall to the ground and tossing her helmet along with it. The blonde sprinted across the grass, paying no mind to Cinder who had now crossed the finish line. Thankfully, Pyrrha wasn’t unconscious. Pretty banged up but she was still awake and attempting to sit upright. 

Yang reached down for her bike, lifting it up and off of Pyrrha’s leg. She put down the kickstand before reaching down to help Pyrrha on to her feet. “Yang, what’re you doing? The medics would’ve just came and got me,” Pyrrha said, but didn’t protest when Yang began to help her straddle her bike. “Yeah, but I want you to finish first. It’s only fair,” she said, reaching for the handlebars and pushing it towards the finish line. 

There were a few coos and awes directed towards them from the crowd, but Yang didn’t pay it any mind. She was glad Pyrrha was alright and amazed that she actually won but... she was honestly more excited about seeing Blake after this. So when Pyrrha asked: “Aren’t you excited about winning?” 

Yang replied, “Some things are more important.” 

* * *

Nothing could compare to the immediate relief of walking into a fully air conditioned room. Seriously, Yang was just about to pass out from the heat. She picked up her cap from the exact spot she remembered leaving it, gripping the visor and fanning herself with it. She smiled and half stumbled when Ruby dived into her arms, screeching about how glad she was that Yang had won. 

“Sis, I love you but I’m way too warm for hugs right now,” Yang said, peeling Ruby off of her. The brunette jumped back, waving her hands at her. “Right, _sorry_! I’m just really happy!” She squealed. Yang chuckled and ruffled her hair, Ruby would eternally be a kid in her mind. Weiss strolled over next, giving her a slight hug and a kiss on the cheek, leaving her lip gloss smeared across it. 

“I’m proud of you, also Blake’s got a change of clothes for you,” Weiss said and the thought of fresh clothes made her so unbelievable relieved. Seriously, Yang was sweating so much that she was convinced there was no fluid left inside of her. Weiss turned and pointed to a door to the right of her, taking a moment to untangle Yang’s bangs. “Through there, I’ll come get you when you’ve gotta go back out there.” 

Yang hummed, immediately walking off towards that room and ignoring the many people shouting her name right now. Inside, Blake was quietly laying clothes out across the dressing table; that being the only surface in the room for her to do so. Yang smiled and she closed the door, knowing Blake must already know she was here with the way her ears swivelled in her direction. 

“How’d you get my clothes?” Yang asked, already unzipping her suit to escape. Blake chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her, leaning her hip on the desk. “Don’t people normally say “hey” when they see someone?” Blake grinned and Yang chuckled back at her. Yang walked over, gently resting her hands on Blake’s waist. She could abstain from changing clothes for a moment. 

“ _Hey_ ,” she said softly, drinking in the way Blake smiled up at her. “What made you come back? If you don’t mind me asking.” Blake let out a breath and her hand wandered up to Yang’s jaw, the other to her shoulder. She tilted her head into Blake’s hand, making her smile. “There’s some things about you that remind me of my ex,” she said and Yangs smile immediately dropped. 

“You’re charming and you’re sweet, but he used to pretend to be like that. When in reality, he wasn’t. _At all_. But _you are_ , and I guess I’m just not used to that.” It made Yang feel slightly better. That was a lie it was a total ego inflation because Blake had just told Yang she thought that she was charming and sweet. “I’m sorry if I did anything to freak you out,” Yang said as she winced. 

Blake shook her head. “No, you’re good. I was just imagining things... and I actually really like you, so there’s _that_ as well,” she said, making Yang smile. She nodded at her, biting her bottom lip. Yang was honestly in disbelief that she might have a chance with someone like Blake. Mind blowing really. “Well, I really like you too, just _FYI_...” Yang said. Blake giggled and rolled her eyes. “Okay, this is ridiculous, we’re both adults and acting like this.”

Blake giggled again and reached up to cup both sides of Yang’s jaw. She gently guided Yang’s face down so she could kiss her, noses bumping together as they did so. Yang couldn’t help the goofy grin on her face as she kissed her, which Blake happily returned. She had wanted to do this all week, had almost kissed her in Blake’s kitchen, then again at her store. But this was more like what she wanted. It was relief and a budding warmth spreading through her chest, something she couldn’t obtain from a trophy of any sort.

“You weren’t kidding about you sweating,” Blake murmured, a ghost of a laugh brushing over Yang’s lips as Blake played with the blonde curls on the back of her neck. “It’s a miracle I haven’t passed out yet,” Yang laughed. Blake hand landed on her collar and she took it as a sign to step back, so she did. Blake smiled at the fact she had caught on so quickly.

“You should get changed before you do then.” Yang nodded and reached for the orange vest top that was laid out for her. Blake walked across the room, preoccupying herself with her scroll until Yang was finished get changed. Being dressed in shorts and a vest top were so much better. “You never said how you got into my hotel room,” Yang said, she heard Blake hum behind her.

“Coco let me in then took off with Velvet.”

“Figures. Where are they?”

“Setting up an after party for you, so don’t make plans,” Blake sang, sliding her scroll back into her pocket as she walked back over, sweeping Yang’s bangs from her forehead. The blonde pouted, bordering on a frown. “Well... I thought _maybe_ we could...” she gestured between her and Blake with her finger before waving herself off. “I guess after party it is then.”

“You would really pass up your own party to go out with me?”

“Is that even a question?” Yang smirked and Blake blushed slightly, ears flicking back as she shyly looked away. Yang chuckled, her laugh croaking as her voice broke. She might’ve been playing it cool but Blake still made her undoubtedly nervous. Which she thought was a good thing. There was a knock on the door that startled them both, before it cracked open slightly.

“Yang, you’ve gotta come for your interview now,” Weiss said through the space. “Right, I’ll be there in a second,” Yang replied, satisfied with that, Weiss left. The blonde scratched the back of her neck; her hair, damp under her fingers and sticking to the skin. “Uh... so if they mention you I-I need to say that you’re my girlfriend.” Yang’s throat bobbed. She wanted to ask ‘is that what you are to me now?’ but she didn’t have to.

“They wouldn’t be wrong, would they?” Blake said. Yang shook her head, responding with, “No... no they wouldn’t.” 

* * *

Yang stood behind a panel, holding her trophy and waiting for reporters to start asking her questions. She had told them that she would only take a few questions because she had places to be, but in this case she would rather be with Blake right now. Speaking of, she glanced over at the Faunus girl, who smirked and winked at her from behind the crowd. 

“How does this win make you feel?” One reporter asked and Yang shrugged. Such a simple question that demanded a very intricate answer. “Not much, it’s just a cup, but I’m glad people were entertained,” she said and they seemed satisfied with that answer. 

“Do you have plans to enter any other tournaments right now?” Another reporter asked. That question was one that Yang already had the answer to, her mind had been made up already. “No, I’m gonna take a break for a little while,” she says, looking over at Blake who smiled again. The truth was plain and simple; she wanted to be with Blake right now, because she hadn’t really dated anyone before. She wanted to see where this would go. Whether or not she would end up lost in the city or found in a quaint little town. 

“No offence Miss Xiao Long, but that doesn’t sound like a wise career move.” 

“Well, _no offence_ -“ a few reporters laughed at her rude tone “-but I think my career will be just fine. Some things are more important right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, thank y’all for reading. It was wild and I got writers block a few times writing, but still, we got there in the end. Excuse any typos as I’m editing this at 3am again like an idiot. 
> 
> Anywhos, the offer still stands if anyone wants to vote on what I’m gonna write next. It’s either my Hollywood AU (they’re not famous or anything, they just live in LA and the bees are exes who meet again after a few years) or my... I guess fashion au? In which Yang is a model and Blake is a fashion journalist and forced to put up with Yang’s antics all the time. 
> 
> But apart from that, I’ll see you guys in the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn’t resist the urge to keep writing, so here it is, my motorcyclist Yang au. 
> 
> I hope everyone likes it, let me know your thoughts. Also I may or may not have based this on a Pixar film. 
> 
> I’m @shoyousugar on twitter and tumblr, don’t be scared to come say hey, my dms are always open! 
> 
> Anyways, ‘till next time folks!


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